Persona 3 Portable
by theblackchaos737
Summary: Something bad was going to happen. Still, there were gaps blocking her and her comrades from the truth. One year to find the answers before it is too late, but there is so much conflict on this damn island, it's going to be a challenge, safeguarding the future! FemProtagXAki, FemProtXShinji, slight FemProtagXRyoji and FemProtagXTheo. Novelization of P3p! graphic warnings later on!
1. Block 1: Date 1: The Dorm

**a/n: Hello readers! I love this mystical game so much. Throughout the years I took effort in writing it into a story as I wrote my own original stories, so I decided to post this here years later! Sorry in advance to the P3P fans for posting a persona game so late…**

 **I do enjoy P5, and the gameplay is more exciting than P3, but I do love a good female protagonist, and it feels like there is more magic and so much more at stake in Persona 3 storyline. I am bummed they are not doing a female version for P5, so I'm complaining about it here! Basically this will be a fic of the P3P, with some of my own twists. Most of it will be accurate to the beloved game, but I sprinkled more moments of my own to heighten tension and spice things up a bit.**

 **I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I'm not a fan of p4. It wasn't a terrible game by any means, in fact SOME of the characters are cool, but the twist was obvious and that DAMN teddy bear...**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic about the (in my opinion) one of the BEST Persona games!~**

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Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

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Time never waits.

It delivers all equally to the same end.

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You, who wish to safeguard the future,

However limited it may be

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You will be given one year;

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Go forth without falter,

With your heart as your guide…

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 **Block I: Spring of Birth**

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Date 1: The Dorm

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There was a delay.

The train conductor was making an announcement on the PD:

"Due to a malfunction in the switching system, today's rail schedule has been greatly altered. We apologize to any customers who were in a hurry."

This was a lie.

If our hero hadn't been listening to her red headphones in her seat on the train, she would have heard the conductor's fib to keep the peace. She would have recalled the horrific incident earlier that night.

The station had been buzzing with activity as the train was stalled, and everyone was talking about the same thing: someone had committed suicide at the Iwatodai station. Jumped right in front of one of the bullet trains. It took a few hours, but now she was on her way to her new home in the new city.

It was almost midnight when the train rolled into the Iwatodai station, the final bound inside Tatsumi Port Island. There was no one else but her that had exited the empty station, and with her bags rolling behind her she started to walk.

The lights flickered.

Come on. It was weird enough that she was alone in a giant station so late at night. Now, the air seemed odd, lifeless, so she took her buds out of her ears to keep her senses sharp, and she strutted out of the station with haste.

The dark city seemed deserted, the sky turned green, and red liquid seemed to be pouring down upon the buildings Ezi walked by. Her pace quickened, and for a moment it seemed as if she could even see coffins from a distance, standing straight up, across the street from her. It was impossible, of course; her mind was just playing tricks on her in the lonely dark.

She was in the dorm before she knew it. The front door had been opened, probably so none of the dorm members would have to get up to let her in. Still, it was odd…

"Welcome!"

Ezi's eyes fell towards a small boy standing beside the front desk. The paleness of his grey skin seemed to illuminate the dark room; his eyes were so blue, he had short blackish hair, and he was in striped pajamas. Maybe this boy was in high school too; a freshmen perhaps? No, freshmen were Jr. High in Japan…

"Um, hello…" Ezi was a bit startled, trying to rationalize his presence.

"I'm so glad you finally made it here. I've been waiting a long time for you, you know." He was so optimistic in his words, kind of creepy. He was waiting for her?

"Please, sign this." He waved his hand towards the sign-in sheet on the desk.

"What is it?" She speculated the paper cautiously.

"It's a contract. In order for you to begin here, you must choose this path upon your own free will."

That's exactly what Ezi read when she looked at the "contract" on the desk:

…

" _ **I choosith to embark on this path on my own, free will."**_

… _._

"…'Bit intense for a high school contract, eh?" Ezi decided. Still, this was probably just a simple waiver to make sure nobody sued the school if anything were to happen to her. That was the least of her problems currently.

She signed the contract, and the boy smiled.

"And so it begins." He said. She turned to speak more to him, but he was already gone.

"Creepy…"

"W-who's there?" A shrill voice emerged from the stairway in the dark. It was a girl, a high school student perhaps, wearing a pink cardigan. The girl inspected Ezi with a terrible look on her face.

"Don't tell me? How are you awake? The time is…" She seemed terribly surprised that Ezi was there. Had she gone to the wrong dorm? The girl had a gun strapped to her waist, and Ezi almost didn't believe that the girl's hand was on it.

"Enough, Takeba." Another person came down the stairs and turned on the lights.

"Oh, hi! A-am I in the wrong dorm? I'm a student going to Gekkoukan high…"

"No, you're in the right place," the other girl said, she had long, flowing red hair, and she was still in her school uniform, too. Her eyes were small and serious, with a mature latch to her elegant, thin features.

"Who's she?" The girl in pink asked.

"She's the new student I mentioned earlier, although, I did not expect her to be so late."

"S-sorry about that, the train had a huge delay."

"Yes, well at least you're here now, and at this hour too…" The red head paused, "I am Mitsuro Kirijo, and this is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring just like you."

"Hello! Nice to meet you!" Ezi said cheerily.

"Y-yeah, nice to meet you too." Yukari stammered, not as energetic. "Should she be here?"

"Well, we'll find out, won't we?"

"Girls, I'm right here." Ezi pointed out, jokingly.

Mitsuru instructed Yukari to take Ezi to her room on the third floor. She walked into the bedroom, turned on the light, and found it was a decent bedroom size, with a bed at the end, a desk, and sink.

"Well, here you are…" Yukari droned. "Its pretty easy to remember which room you have, since its at the end of the hall. By the way, you didn't see anything strange on your way here, did you?"

"What do you mean?" Ezi squinted.

"Um, nothing. Anyway, I'll be guiding you to school tomorrow, so any questions you have can wait until the morning, it's late…"

"Oh, yeah! But I guess some of you were still up to greet me, like that small boy in the stripped pajamas?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? There are no small boys in this dorm." She stated.

"Eh?" Ezi scratched the side of her head. "Weird…"

"Okay, well, goodnight!" Yukari closed the door behind her.

Ezi reflected on the room she would be staying in; her new home.

The bed had a pink checkered comforter on top and two shelves on the wall beside it. There was an average wooden desk, a sink and a small fridge in the corner of the room adjacent to the door. A small silver TV was in the corner of the foot of the bed. After unpacking she decided to sleep. She thought about Yukari and Mitsuru, her new roommates.

There boy in the pajamas, too. And all the while, never suspecting that the girl she had just met had pointed a gun to her own head a few hours before. This wasn't a custom of any familiarity on the island, but Ezi would probably be doing the same thing as well, very soon.

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Thankfully, the school uniforms Ezi had ordered online fit her alright that morning. A black, long sleeve top and skirt, with a red bowtie wrapped around the collar, and her red headphones to top it all off. Yukari awoke with a positive energy about her, and was Ezi's guide to the high school.

The island was much more pleasant without coffins stunning the moonlit night, as the darkness was replaced with clean streets, and bustling citizens marching to their daily duties.

They both took the monorail, the only route possible to reach the center of the island.

"This is my favorite part, where it feels like you're gliding over the sea." Yukari said cheerily. They both looked out the windows to see the sun's light dancing across the ocean as they moved, like glistening diamonds.

"You're right! It's beautiful. Don't see much water like this from where I'm from."

"Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port Island? It's a man-made island. They built our school right in the middle of it."

Ezi felt a grand warmth once they reached the school grounds. The front of it was a large building with a glass front, and the pathway to it had cherry blossoms sprouting alongside the path towards the education center.

"Welcome to Gekkokaun High! You're gonna love it here."

Ezi smiled at the thought.

The giant school interior was vast, with basic white walls covered in bulletin boards and flyers, and white tile. The snack vendor was placed in the front hall of the school, and the board with maps and classroom assignments was posted beside the back stairway. She kept her gaze down as she found the list of class assignments, then wrote hers in the itinerary she had bought. She wasn't one for being organized, but if was going to be more outgoing here, she would have to keep her schedule together.

Classroom 2F, she wrote down, and headed up stairs to her homeroom class. Yukari seemed to be in the same class as well, so she sat next to her in the second row.

Miss Toriumi, the short haired, well-dressed teacher in a suit, addressed the class:

"Alright everyone, we have a new student joining us today. Her name is Elizabeth Leon, and she's from America! Please, stand up and introduce yourself, Leon-san."

Ezi swallowed her nervousness and stood up quickly. "Hello everyone! It's nice to meet you all. Just call me Ezi for short, please. I look forward to going through this year with all of you!"

At the school assembly, she sat next to Yukari as well, who was sitting with members from her archery club. The auditorium was a large purple room, with well over 1000 students sitting down and crammed together.

Ezi was rubbing her hands together. She was nervous, for some reason, as if everyone in the room was looking at her. The principal was saying a few things, some in English, and some in Japanese. He told the students to be nice to some of the new students, and some basic rules. Then he turned the stage to Mitsuru, the red head from Ezi's dorm. Her speech was so elegant, and she spoke so fluidly, it was hard not to be impressed by her appropriate grammar and professionalism.

"Wow! Mitsuru's so professional." One boy said in the seat behind her.

"Yeah, it's no wonder she's President of student council." Another boy responded.

Student council? How unusual for Ezi to be in the same dorm with someone like that. For some reason in the past, she had always been too busy to participate in school activities such as this. Now, though…

"Hey, did you hear about the new transfer student, too?" The boy continued.

"Yeah! I hear she's real cute," the other answered.

"And she hangs out with Yukari! Man, I'm getting excited for this year already…"

Ugh. High-school students gossiped too much.

By the end of the day, Ezi began to think about what to expect from each class.

After class, she realized she had been more exhausted and stirred by all the information she had to process from the day. As she gathered her bag together, the boy sitting in front of her twisted his body in his seat to face her.

"What's up? You look like I deer in headlights."

She furrowed her brows and glared.

"Who are you?"  
"Me? I'm Junpei Iori, nice to meet yah." Junpei had a green cap on his head, a black jacket over his uniform, and a long face with a goatee on his chin.

"I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is being the new kid. So, I figured I'd check up on yeah, see how you were."

Yukari jumped from her seat to stand beside them. "Honestly, do you have to hit on every girl, Junpei?"

"Dude, I'm just being friendly!" He insisted. "By the way, do you two know each other? Rumors going around you guys came to school together today. The guys are already talking about you two cuties walking around our halls. Don't worry, I'll defend you from any harassment you get from any weirdos."

"Ugh, do you have to be a creep all the time, _Stupei!"_ Yukari chided. They seemed to know each other well enough for her to insult him.

"Heyyy, I am being sincere! I just wanted you girls to know! And I don't want you to think I'm hittin' on you or nothing, so let's be friends first, okay?"

"First?" Yukari repeated.

"Okay, Junpei. I'll try to get to know you." Ezi smiled.

"Awesome!"

"Junpei, don't you feel bad about spreading rumors like that? I mean, I'm used to them, but she just got here!"

"Eh, they're certainly annoying, but nothing I can't handle." Ezi answered.

"You sure?" Junpei said.

"Yeah, I'll be okay, thanks!"

"Anyway," Yukari sighed, "it was weird that we both got in the same class, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm glad I know somebody in here, though."

"Uh, hello? What about me?" Junpei whined.

"Well, I gotta go take care of some team archery stuff. Don't try anything funny, you got that, Junpei?"

"Yeah, yeah." Yukari left, and Junpei and Ezi followed her out of the classroom.

"But seriously, I didn't come here just to hit on you or anything like that. If you need anything you can tell your old pal Junpei!"

"Old pals, are we?" She chuckled. "Thanks."

On her way down the stairs, though, she saw a list on the gym door for which clubs were still open: Tennis, swimming, Volleyball and Basketball. She wrote her name down for basketball, without any hesitation.

Later, Ezi and Yukari had gone to the Iwatodai strip mall to eat at one of the local restaurants for dinner before heading to the dorm. Ezi was low on yen, but she didn't want to duck on having dinner with her first friend on the island just because of that. They went to a place called Hagakure Ramen, which had all sorts of noddle entrees that seemed delectable to Ezi. So, she went with the cheapest meal, and talked to Yukari about her first day, they returned to the dorm that night.

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Ezi plopped onto her bed. It was such a busy day, with so many names to remember and schedules and rules to keep track of. She decided to let her mind wander aimlessly. Nothing so far seemed too familiar to her; this place, these people…

Her parents died over a decade ago, and even though the report in America said they had died in a car accident, their bodies were never found.

Of course, that was not the only reason she had transferred to Japan…

Perhaps, this would fill in the gaps to her missing memory, if she could get information from anyone.

At any rate, the day was done, and she decided to get some rest early to complete her first day as a junior at Gekkokaun High.

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As she slept, Mitsuru was greeted in the lounge downstairs by an athletic young man, who appeared to be her age.

"Hey, have you seen the news lately?" He asked.

"Yes. Apparently, those who didn't have any symptoms before are experiencing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome."

"I heard a guy killed himself on the monorail. Just walked right onto the tracks like a zombie." The boy informed.

"They say its due to stress, but…" Mitsuru bit her bottom lip.

"Yeah, right. It has to be _them."_ He nodded assuredly. "Otherwise, it's not worth my time."

Mitsuru smiled at the boy she had known for many a few years now. "You have a one track mind. Will you be okay on your own?"

"Don't worry, I'm just getting some practice in. I need it for when I can go in again. Later." He seemed to jog out of the dorm. Mitsuru sighed to herself and watched him leave.

"This isn't a game, Akihiko."

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TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: This story is sort of a cross-over because of the OC/female protagonist name I used in other fics, but nothing overwhelmingly out of place until the end twist. The beginning is a bit slow like it is in the game, but it'll pick up I promise!

…. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! R&R please and have a good day you deserve it!

 _Farewell, my dearest~_


	2. Date 2: The Persona

a/n: Hello again! This chapter is still just introducing things, but I hope you like it~ Most of this story is word for word from the game, but when I go off script the characters will not be terribly OOC, I want it to be as if it were something that could still have happened in the P3P game. Anyway I hope you enjoy this episode!

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Persona 3 Portable

Date 2: The Persona

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If the word "Persona" had meant anything to Ezi, which of course, it did not, the dream the next night may have made more sense. The blue room, the old man telling her about Personas… None of it made sense, of course, because none of it really had anything to with her.

The next day, school was as rambunctious and lively as the former day, and Ezi embraced the social atmosphere of the classrooms, between classes, and lunchtime as best as she could, talking regularly to Junpei and Yukari when she could.

Her homeroom teacher liked to ramble about literature, she realized.

"…I'll just bring the book tomorrow." Ms. Toriumi decided during a lecture. She stopped her thoughts to look upon Junpei, who had his head slanted downwards.

"Iori!" Her voice shook him awake in a startle. "Were you listening at all? Who is my favorite author I just mentioned?"

The other students were snickering, but Ezi felt bad for him.

"Uh, uh…"

"Utsubo Kubota." Ezi whispered to the back of his head.

"Huh? Oh…U-Utsubo, Kubota?"

"That's right! So you were listening to me after all!" She declared, and continued her lecture.

He turned his head for a second to whisper to her. "Man, you saved my bacon, Ezi!"

"Don't mention it. I take favors in food."

"Huh?"

By the time it was after school, Ezi's mind was in a spin from all of the new things she was adapting to, but she concluded the curriculum couldn't be that much harder than her former school.

Outside of the school building, Yukari approached her.

"Yukari-san! What is up, girl?"

She chuckled. "Just call me Yukari… you know san makes me sound really old."

"Ah, my bad."

"So… how was your day?"

"Well, it started off with this weird dream I had, then the math teacher tried to give us all pop quizzes!"

"Yeah, I was there for there for that part…"

"Oh yeah! We're in the same class! How did you do?"

"I'd rather we discussed something else…"

At that moment, it was hard not to ignore the dramatic sighs and squeals from the crowd of girls emerging from inside the school behind them. The crowd of petite woman were following out a boy in a red sweater and slacks, his hair was so bleached it almost looked white in the afternoon sun, and his grey eyes were cast down as he attempted to walk ahead of the flock of girls trying to get his attention.

"Ah, lucky bastard." Junpei mumbled, appearing beside Ezi and Yukari abruptly.

"Who's that?" Ezi asked profoundly.

"Oh no, don't tell me you're falling for him too?" Junpei whined.

"That's Akihiko Senada. He's in the same dorm as us." Yukari explained.

"Oh, he is? Well, he must be very popular." Ezi laughed. "He doesn't seem to like the attention though, poor guy."

"Poor guy?" Junpei sounded offended. "Don't you mean, lucky guy? He's the captain of the boxing team, and he could get any girl he wanted! Man, if I had talent like his, I'd definitely use it."

"Don't be so modest, Junpei." Ezi snickered. "Besides, you're a lady killer already. I mean, just look at that goatee."

He grinned back. "So you're not interested in him?" He pressed.

"Why would I be? I know nothing about him."

"Ah-ha! We got a girl here who's not a complete airhead." Junpei tipped his hat. "Well, I gotta go, but I'll see you lovely ladies around!"

"Whatever." Yukari replied rolling her eyes.

"Nice seeing you, Junpei!" She waved to him as they parted. "He's not so bad once you get passed the flirtation. Full of positive energy!"

"Kind of like you, it seems." Yukari teased. "Come on, let's grab a bite to eat then head home."

The girls returned to the dorm later to see Mitsuru sitting on the lounge couch with someone.

"Oh good, you're back." The authoritative Mitsuru greeted them as she stood up. "I'd like you to meet someone," It was an older man, with a thin body, wavy brown hair, glasses, and he was wearing a copper suit.

"It's very nice to meet you. I am Ikutsuki-san, one of the Chairman's at the school; you could say I'm the mother of this dorm too." He laughed at his own joke, "I'll just be checking in with you all from time to time!"

"You'll get used to his bad puns and jokes." Yukari explained.

"If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me." said Ikutsuki-san.

"Okay! Thank you."

They turned to Yukari and began to speak of other affairs, so Ezi took her leave up to her room.

" _Are you sure she was awake at that time?"_ Ikutsuki-san asked Mitsuru in a low voice.

"Positive."

"Then, let's observe her tonight and see what happens."

The streets were green, and Ezi was sound asleep in her bed after finishing her homework. Probably dreaming about blue rooms and handsome strangers.

"Hm, she's still sleeping." Ikutsuki-san was observing the girl from their camera room on the top floor.

"Then, she could have the potential, right?" Mitsuru and Yukari were in the room with him.

"For one hour after midnight, there is the Dark Hour. Any regular human _transmogrifies_ into a coffin at this time and is unaware of what is happening for this hour. But, she is still snug in her bed, retaining human form."

"Then, she must have noticed it when she came here the first night." Mitsuru pondered.

"Is she capable, like we are?" Yukari asked.

"It's possible, otherwise they would have preyed upon her by now." Ikutsuki scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Scary…" Replied Yukari.

"Well, we should continue observing her for a few more days. I'll just say the transfer to the other dorm has been postponed until we can make a decision."

"Right." Mitsuru agreed.

"Still," Yukari sighed, "I feel bad spying on her like this…"

As they observed, Ezi dreamed. She was about to open a door the night before, and now she could recall performing this action as she was being swept across a blue checkered tile into sweet slumber…

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… _.Master….._

 _It was like running and gliding across it all at once._

 _Master Ezi Leon…_

 _She grabbed the handle on the door, and they slammed behind her as she was elevated upwards._

 _The room was blurry, but there was an old man sitting at the end of the room. The carpet was blue, like before._

 _"Welcome to the Velvet room!" He said in a rusty voice. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."_

 _"You… Where is this room?"_

 _"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…"_

 _"Dream? Ah, I get it, I'm dreaming!"_

 _"Only those who have signed a contract may enter here."_

 _"Contract?"_

 _The boy in the pajamas; the first night at the dorm. Did this have something to do with that?_

 _"Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so."_

 _"My unique what? Your help?"_

 _"I only ask one thing in return…"_

 _"Aw no, I didn't sign up for… whatever this is! I'm not doing no deeds for you, buddy!"_

 _Igor cackled. "It is a simple request. I only ask that you assume responsibility for the choices you make."_

 _"Oh, well, that's logical, isn't it?"_

 _"There is another resident in this room, but he could not be here tonight for your arrival. I will make sure you two meet another time."_

 _"Another time?" She roared. "What makes you think I'm coming back to this weird place… weirdo?"_

 _"Until we meet again…" Igor hunched over and bowed. The room was like an elevator, and the speed grew and grew until Ezi's eyes became blinded by a capacity of light._

She was awake, and she could barely remember the dream, but she hurried to school. Junpei greeted her, and she was taking a liking to his nonchalant ways, but chided him for not paying attention in class. As another day went by, Ezi realized she was more tired than she had calculated, and wanted to return to the dorm to rest. However, after school, Yukari insisted on going to the Paulownia Mall with her to show her some more social sights on the island.

"…There's a karaoke box, and a music shop, and they have a cute café too, one of the best!" Yukari seemed excited, showing her around.

It was like being in school, there were so many students in the mall. The students seemed to be looking at them an awful lot too; probably whispering about the new girl again. They ate pastries and drank tea at the Chagall Cafe, and then they reached the dorm just as the night sky was out and the moon was full.

"Girls, glad you're back." Mitsuru was sitting on the couch with a book. "It's a nice night, but I'm afraid rules are rules. You can't be out alone at night."

"Yeah, we got it." Yukari smiled. "I'm gonna study some before I rest. Ezi?"

"Ah, no thanks. I'm headed off to bed. Good night."

They both said goodnight in unison to her, and she couldn't help but feel their stares on her back as she toddled up the stairs. Seeing her bed reminded her of the dream from the night before, and despite being tired, she couldn't just sleep, so she listened to her music in bed for a while until she drifted.

The group observed her again on the surveillance cameras.

An emergency call came in.

Their plans spiraled out of control by a sinister threat that emerged from the streets into their dwelling.

 **KNOCK-KNOCK**!

It was about midnight. Ezi, confused and annoyed as to the disruption of her sleep, rolled out of her bed in a flurry to answer it.

"Sorry! I-I'm coming in!" It was Yukari. "Come on, there's been an emergency, we gotta get out of here!"

"W-what's going on?"

"I'll explain later, we have to go, now!"

Yukari dashed out and Ezi followed.

"Girl, you can't be waking people up in a tizzy like this!"

"Here, take this, just in case." Yukari handed out to Ezi what appeared to be a long staff called a Naginata, with a long blade at the end.

Ezi lifted the weapon up and down, adjusting to the weight in her hands.

"What in the-?"

"Let's hurry!" They flew down the stairs in an unexplainable rush. This was either two things: The first was that there was a prominent danger in the dorm, and the other was that this was a prank, and Yukari was leading her to some sort of hazing ceremony.

She really hoped it was the first one.

Yukari had a walkie on, and Mitsuru's voice began to come through.

"The Shadow is on the first floor! The one Akihiko fought isn't here fighting us! Don't go that way!" She yelled.

"Ah, you gotta be kidding me!" Yukari griped. "Come on, Ezi-san, this way!"

"Yukari-"

There was a loud BANG at the front door, like something large was breaking in.

"Come on!" She gripped Ezi's hand and they hurried up the stairs towards the roof. They rushed out to the open air, standing around brick and a large empty space. The thumping Ezi could hear earlier seemed to cease.

"W-we should be safe here…" Yukari panted.

"Now will you tell me what's going on?" Ezi yelled. Then she gasped. They could both hear stomping against the dorm's wall, and it grew louder and louder until it was on the roof with them.

Both girls eyes were as wide as could be. Ezi had never seen anything so mortifying before… or had she?

A large black hand held up a sea green mask, and it poked out from the side of the dorm. It used the mask like eyes, and scanned the roof until its empty eyes were on them. Then, more hands raised up, each holding a long, silver rapier in their grip, intending to use the weapons on them. It crawled up and over the roof: a black creature made of hands and one mask for a face it held, and it clinked and walked with its many limbs and swords towards them.

"That thing… we call them Shadows!" Yukari exclaimed.

Ezi's eyes were focused on the giant creature; it was crawling at them like an insect, until she noticed Yukari pull out the gun strapped to her right leg. Instead of aiming at the Shadow, though, she pointed it to her forehead.

"Yukari! What the hell are you doing?" Ezi wanted to reach for the gun, to keep her from ending her own life.

"It's not what you think!" Yukari snapped. "Alright, I can do it…"

"Do 'it'?" Ezi thought aloud. Her heart was pounding. Her new friend was going to shoot herself, and this shadow monster was coming to dice them up…

The Shadow had gotten too close, and swatted Yukari with one of its lengthy arms before she could fire her weapon. She screamed and slid into the concrete wall away from Ezi, and the Shadow continued after Yukari.

The gun and slid in front of Ezi.

 _Heartless? No, Shadows…_

She picked up the gun.

 _I have to help Yukari, but I don't know how! I don't…_

She pictured Yukari putting the gun to her head.

 _Yes! It all connects! The Shadows, this weapon…_

She wasn't trying to kill herself, she was trying to unleash something.

 _It was—_

Ezi had never held a gun before, let alone fire one, but she knew where the trigger was when she placed it to the side of her head.

 **" _Per-so-na."_**

The shot went through her head, her mind; her memories. It flew out the other side of her head as an incredible energy that transformed into a being behind her.

" _THOU ART I,"_ the energy said, " _AND I AM THOU,"_

Ezi turned to see a creature floating above her, a rounded figure with a golden body, flowing hair, and grey face.

 _"I AM ORPHEUS, THE AVENGER PERSONA, GUIDE ME TO DO YOUR BIDDING IN THIS TIME OF PARRELL—"_

She was by no means frightened of this monster, but then Orpheus vanished and become something _black._

It was a memory of pain, of anguish perhaps, that Ezi could not reach, and the golden form was morphed into a far darker thing. Her vision was heavy with exhaustion, and she screamed out, but she could see the monster had coffins floating around it, and a black cape. It howled into the verdant night, and flew towards the Shadow.

Ezi, exhausted, watched the giant form smash and rip apart the Shadow limb from limb. It bashed into the mushy black body until it was just a puddle on the ground. It gripped one more remaining arm in its hand, and observed it wiggle about for a moment before crushing it, and the last of the Shadow vanished.

It roared at the moon again, then swelled back into a smaller power, the Orpheus character Ezi had originally summoned. Her eyes were red, and her body pure, and her long golden hair waved through the dark. She vanished into small sparkles of light in front of Ezi's frozen body.

"…What the hell was _that?_ "

Yukari screamed.

The small bits of the Shadow were coming to life and crawling towards her.

"No, get away from me!" Yukari scrambled up, keeping her focus on the trudging Shadow as her back was pinned against the wall.

"Yukari!" Ezi cried. She had to do it again. She summoned Orpheus by pulling the trigger to her head. The body of light swept through and smashed both of the creatures with her heavy, harp-like weapon. Ezi's vision was spinning, but she looked around to see if there were anymore Shadows present.

There was one left. She ran towards it. There was a sensation in her march that felt incredibly familiar, and she twirled and slashed the monster with the naginata like it was nothing.

"Ezi…" Yukari was speechless. The others seemed to be making it up to the roof; she could hear their footsteps. There was no more imminent danger. Ezi began to lose consciousness and fell forward into the dark, her heavy body making a painful scratching impact with the concrete.

 _Are you okay? Hey, answer me! Can you hear me? Ezi!_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _She was in the blue room again, but this time, it was so much more vivid. The small room was actually a giant elevator, moving upwards. There was the old man, Igor from before, wearing a black suit, sitting in a blue, cushioned chair behind a round table. On either side of him were four doors on each side, draped in cloths like old furniture, that weren't attached to the cushion, blue diamond patterned shape walls on the sides of them. The wall behind Igor was a solid, elaborate gate with a huge white and gold patterned vintage clock above his head._

 _The wide-eyed, pointy-nosed elder spoke._

" _Welcome to the Velvet Room," he said to her. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind over matter… It would seem as though your power has finally awakened."_

 _"My…power?"_

 _"Yes, the power to unleash your Persona,"_

 _"My Persona…" She whispered, "so that's what that creature was that came out of me."_

 _"Allow me to explain: I am Igor, and any assistance you need involving your Personas will be handled here in the future; that is what I do for our guests._

 _"I'm a… guest?"_

 _"Yes. Many people can use Personas, but not many are as willing to sign the contract."_

 _Ezi immediately recalled the contract she signed at the dorm's front desk again, with the boy in stripped pajamas present._

 _"A Persona is your true self, brought forth into the Dark Hour, which is an appropriate time for no time, and a space between this world and an inner dream world, if you will. The Dark Hour is where you will be able to unleash your Personas. The stronger you are in the real world, the stronger your personas will become as you venture through many hardships."_

 _"I think… I understand, actually." Ezi smiled. "I can't explain it, but somehow, this all seems familiar to me…"_

 _"Good." Igor nodded. "In time, you will understand the powers of your Personas even more as well." He waved his hand to the servant in blue beside his couch. The man had grey skin, yellow eyes, and slicked back white hair under his blue servant hat._

 _"I'm sure then, that you could see the other entity in this room as well now." Igor explained. She had not seen him until that moment._

" _This is Theodore, and he will help with any of your Persona needs in the Velvet Room."_

 _"It is an honor to meet you, guest. Please call me Theo. I will assist you in any way that I can while you're here."_

 _He did not look like an awkward bell hop, more like a sexy model dressed in a bellhop suit-_

 _She cleared her throat. "Theo, was it? Awesome! I like that as a nickname, it's more original than most nicknames, like, I hate it when people call me Liz, or Lizzy, for my name—"_

 _She stopped herself, seeing the perplexed glare of the two surreal figures._

 _"—Um, sorry. It's just, there are a lot of information I'm processing, but I think I get it."_

 _Igor grinned. "Do you? Well then, I think that is enough explaining for tonight. We look forward to seeing you later on in your journey. Goodbye for now, the exit is behind you. The next time we meet, it will be on your own accord to enter the blue door."_

 _Ezi could see the blue door. It was the only solid thing standing against the floor behind her. When she opened it, her sight went completely blank, and suddenly, she felt exhausted._

 _..._

 _._

 _._

 _._

"Oh good, you're awake." Yukari sighed in relief.

Yukari hovering over her was the only familiar thing in the white space; there were machines connected to the IVs in Ezi's arm, and there was a window beside her bed.

"You're at the Memorial Hospital. We told the doctors you hit your head and collapsed last week."

"Its been a whole week?" Ezi pondered this. "Oh, you mean you told them that when I had actually fought that monster?"

"Huh, oh, yeah… the Shadow. Listen, can you keep a secret?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to go around telling people there are monsters out at midnight; it's hard enough to make friends as it is."

"Oh… good." Yukari shrugged. "You don't seem at all surprised by this…"

"Well, I am shocked, I'll admit, but I'm just glad we're both still alive! Huh? Up top."

Yukari stared at Ezi's raised hand for a moment before slapping it.

"Oh. Yeah. The doctors are going to run some tests on you to make sure you're concussion free, then you can go home this afternoon… after school, we'll explain everything to you at the dorm, I promise!"

Ezi smiled. "Okay, Yukari. Thank you."

Personas, Shadows, the Dark Hour… it had only been a few days, but Ezi was starting to think this place just might have the answers she was looking for.

Did her excitement from last night have anything to do with her lost memories? The thought of fighting darkness with unimaginable power in another place in time… it did feel familiar. She felt like she was on the right track to the truth…

She was released from the hospital, and she immediately went to the dorm. She was excited, confused, and calm all at once; if that were even possible. She was the first to arrive at the dorm, so she drank a melon soda from the vending machine, and attempted to draw a picture of Orpheus in her itinerary. If she had lost memories in the past, having some sort of journal about her events now could be useful if she were to forget them again.

She waited in her room until Yukari text her to come to the Command Room on the fourth floor, the only room on the highest floor of the dorm. She inhaled and took a deep breath out when she opened the pine double doors into the large room.

Yukari, Mitsuru, the Chairman and an unfamiliar student were on the pink sofa in the middle of the carpet room, as if they had been waiting impatiently. The vintage striped wall paper stopped halfway from the roof to the wood strip, the sofa was pink and more exquisite than the cushions in the lounges, and there was a nice wood boxes with shapes and vases beside the drawers that held up the large flat screen television next to the doorway, and Doric type pillars in every corner of the room with many windows.

"Please, have a seat…" Ikutsuki insisted. She sat on the small chair couch by herself, looking out at the coffee table with a silver case on it, and everyone else who was looking at her sitting around the table.

"I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you." Continued Ikutsuki.

"Probably, plan my funeral?"

He chuckled lightly. "The reason I asked you here, is because I needed to talk to you."

"Well, yes. I would hope you guys explained a little of what's going on…"

"Oh, before we begin, I believe I mentioned earlier, but this is Akihiko." Ikutsuki nodded towards the boy across from him. He had on the red vest Ezi had seen him in before; he was lanky with grey eyes and short white hair.

"How ya doin'?" He asked coolly. The last time she saw him, a pallet of girls had been trailing him at school.

"Well, I've probably had other days I was this confused, otherwise I'm good."

Ikutsuki cleared his throat. "Okay, let me start by asking you this: Would you believe me if I told you a day consists of more than 24 hours?"

"…You're just confusing me even more." She wondered dully if this was just a dumb question.

Mitsuru chuckled. "I'm not surprised by your reaction. However, you've already experienced this truth firsthand."

"Pardon?"

"Do you recall the first night you came here? You would had to have noticed the signs. The streetlights went out, nothing was working," Mitsuru paused, "and, there were coffins everywhere. Didn't you feel like you were in a different time?"

"Now that you mentioned it, I did. The sky even seemed to have a different atmosphere."

She continued. "That's the Dark Hour— a time period hidden between one day and the next."

"Hidden? How?"

Ikutsuki explained further. "I guess it's more like something people aren't aware of. But, the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night at midnight." He pushed his glasses in. "It'll happen tonight, and every night to come."

Akihiko folded his arms and sat back in the couch. "Normal people don't realize it, since they're sleeping inside their coffins. But, that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting." He smirked. "You saw those creatures. We call them "Shadows". They only appear during the Dark Hour, and they attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them; sounds exciting, huh?"

Ezi opened her mouth, but Mitsuru beat her to it.

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!"

Ikutsuki raised his hand in the air. "Now, now, Akihiko does his work well. Anyway, long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad- SEES for short."

"Hm, reminds me of candy." She mumbled, but no one seemed to hear her pathetic joke.

"On paper, I have us classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru Kirijo is the senior of the group, since she has been here the longest, and I am its advisor."

"A Shadow, if it doesn't attack you physically, can feed off the mind of its prey. The victims become like living corpses. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not most of them."

"What do you mean? Like, the people who have been suicidal? My train got in late because someone died on the tracks."

"That's exactly right."

Ezi realized she had cupped her hands this whole time, and they were wet with sweat. "So, these monsters are real trouble for the world, huh?" She thought about the one the other night, with the cold blue mask and knives shifting around its many dark hands. "How do we fight them?"

"There are those who have the potential to stay awake during the Dark Hour. Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's Persona, the power you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, its all up to you guys."

Mitsuru opened the case on the table. A silver gun gleamed uncannily from inside. "What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us. We've prepared an Evoker for you here, and we'd like you to lend us your strength."

"This gun—Evoker, its what I use to summon my power?"

"That's correct."

"And all of you want me to help you fight those Shadows during the Dark Hour?" To this, no one responded. Probably to respect her time, and give her a moment to think. However, was time necessary? The choice was obvious.

"Alright."

Yukari seemed to breathe at last, taking a large sigh. "I was afraid you would say no. Welcome aboard!"

Ikutsuki stood up and raised his arm to her. "Thank you so much. I'm really glad."

"Yeah, me too." She shook it.

"Oh! About your room assignment—why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the hold up is, but it all worked out in the end."

Everyone seemed to stand up now.

"Hold up? But wasn't that-? Never mind." Yukari scratched her head.

"Good luck with everything." Akihiko said. "We won't start tonight, but tomorrow we can begin fresh with operations."

"Sounds good." She nodded.

Ezi had just decided to join SEES and fight the Shadows. It was too much of a coincidence, like fate had opened a door to the truth. But then again, only a **Fool** would have joined SEES. The team's new bond was set, but was their new teammate a blessing or a curse?

TO BE CONTINUED!

Oh yes! The arcana relationships will be announced in bold when a new bond is made... thou art I... I am thou. Anyway please R&R, and have a good day!

 _Farewell, my dearest~_


	3. Date 3: The Tower of Terror

**a/n: Thanks for reading so far and the reviews! They are much appreciated XD Again some parts will change while others stay the same from the game. I feel like things don't kick up until after the first Shadow, but maybe that's just me because I've played it plenty of times before. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter still!**

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Date 3: The Tower of Terror

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It wasn't difficult for Ezi to dive back into a normal day of school. It was as if she had had to do this sort of grotesque routine before. She had an even more pleasant look on her face as she spoke to her fellow students about classes, confusing homework, and any clubs they might want to join in the year.

After class, Yukari invited Ezi to grab a bite to eat, but Mitsuru sempai came to their classroom.

"Sorry for the late notice. I need everyone to come to the lounge immediately tonight. I'll save the details for later. See you there." She swayed out quickly after that.

"That was fast… I guess, operations will be that way with her." Ezi decided.

"She's probably too busy with things like student council, unlike us." Yukari said with her nose high.

Junpei was collecting his things beside them when he interfered. "Ooh, Yuka-tan do I sense some hostility?"

"Well, it's not that I don't like her, it's just that… Oh, never mind."

"Oh—" Mitsuru popped her head in again "—Leon-san, would you mind heading out with Akihiko? He has something he needs to show you about the… dorms. He'll probably be out in the front gates."

"Ah-hey- sure, yeah, that's fine." She left Yukari awkwardly, wondering if she should ask her about her attitude towards Mitsuru later.

"Man, Yuka-tan must not like Mitsuru-sempai too much." Junpei was tagging along behind her with his hands raised on the back of his head.

"Where did you come from? And I don't think we should talk about it. It was kind of weird though…"

"Well, Mitsuru is a babe, and super high class around here. Her father owns the Kirijo Group, and they basically make, like, everything. Its no surprise girls are so jealous of her."

The sun was setting when they walked out, and Akihiko was standing by the gate with his arms folded.

"Ezi-san, mind coming with me? It's about SEES."

"Oh, coming!" She walked up to him.

"Hey man, are all of those girls with you?" Junpei asked. Of course, there was the flock of girls again, ogling Akihiko, from afar.

"Who? Them?" He glanced a moment at the squealing girls. "I don't even remember their names."

At hearing him say this, Ezi rolled her eyes.

"It must be hard to be a celebrity."

"Huh? Celebrity?" Akihiko sounded confused.

"Well, later guys! Have fun without me in your little group…" Junpei teased them, and left.

"What's this about?" Ezi asked, annoyed.

"I can't say here, obviously. I'll tell you on the way."

She unwillingly followed Akihiko towards the station, who didn't say much to her, and they took a stop at the Paulownia Mall.

"Plan on coming here often, there's a spot where we get our weapons from." Akihiko told her. They ventured into the mall, that had several different shops aligned up, all encircling a marble slab fountain in the center of it.

He led Ezi into a small police station, one that seemed to be stationed in that area for minor incidents. She noticed Missing posters of animals and people on the billboard behind the front desk of the cramped office.

The tall, thin officer behind the desk approached the desk from the back of the room.

"Akihiko, you brought the new member along today I see."

"Leon-san, this is officer Kurosawa. He knows all about the Dark Hour, and equips us with weapons when he can."

"I have friends who can fashion antique samurai swords into deadly weapons." He stated. "Which type of weapon would you like to use for your missions?"

"A weapon?" Ezi echoed.

"Everyone who goes into Tartarus needs one." Akihiko explained. "Even though we'd prefer to rely on our Personas, if we can't summon them fast enough when we're attacked, we need a weapon to use. So pick one."

"Um, alright…."

The office desk had a glass case under it, with all kinds of weapons displayed, from a pistols to katanas. The one that struck her as most appealing was the Naginata, like the one Yukari had tossed her the other night. It wasn't necessarily a weapon she was familiar with, but the crystal blue embroidered on its handle caught her eye.

"H-how much is the spear?"

"You mean the naginata? It's free. You need the weapon, so I won't charge you. Any other products I'll have to charge."

"Alright, I'll just take that then, thank you."

Kurosawa handed her the blade. "Here you go. Good luck."

Next, Akihiko showed her the pharmacy across the way as well, in case she decided to get some medicine for any specific injuries.

.

"Mitsuru told me to show you these places for later on, in case you needed them." Akihiko explained on their way back to the dorm.

"You could have told me that before you dragged me to the mall."

"Sorry, I didn't want you getting excited over nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"I just didn't want you think it was a date, that's all. It wasn't my idea, Mitsuru wanted me to, that's all."

"A date?" She roared. Some other people in the train turned towards them. "Far from it, my friend! Why would you think I would think this was a date, huh? Just because the other girls at school are into you doesn't mean I am! You're far from charming, trust me!"

"What? N-no, that's not what I—"

"I get it, you think just because I'm a new girl I would fall for my sen-pai—or whatever I'm supposed to call you, right? You may be used to the attention, Akihiko, but don't expect it when there's nothing going on!"

"SHH—alright, alright! I'm sorry." He stammered. He looked down, with a hard grimace. "That's not what I was getting at. I just wanted to be clear about why I brought you with me today. I usually just try to be as professional as I can with girls, since, well, you know, you've seen how they all look at me. It's hard to make friends with any of the girls at school, because of the way they act. I just assumed I had to treat you the same way—sorry."

Ezi paused. She could tell he was being sincere.

"It's alright. I haven't fallen for anyone at the school, if you must know; not all girls are focused on getting boyfriends, alright?"

"I know, I know that! I'm sorry, I don't want you to think that's how I see all girls."

"Okay, fine. In that case, I appreciate you showing me the police station and all of that, so I can be prepared for fighting shadows. _That is_ what's most important to me, a job like that requires no distractions."

He chuckled. "Yeah. I guess I don't have to worry about you being unprepared, do I?"

"Nope."

He smirked. "Alright, then. I can't wait to get healed, so I can get back with you guys. Until then, good luck inside of Tartarus tonight."

Once they got to the dorm, Ezi practiced with her naginata on the roof. She did moves she herself didn't know were possible, and where she learned them from, she herself didn't even know, but she could learn to get used to the abilities. Even if there was a little concern about releasing her Persona, she knew was already somehow physically fit for the Dark Hour.

That night, Mitsuru called everyone to the lounge. Another person followed Akihiko in from the entrance.

"Junpei?" Yukari yelled. "What are you doing at our dorm?"

"Hey, Yuka-tan! Ezi-chan! Long time no see." He held his cheesy smile as he tipped his hat toward them.

"Ah, so you know him already." Mitsuru said. "Junpei Iori has the potential. He'll be staying with us in our dorm and joining SEES."

"Junpei has a Persona?" Yukari sounded irritated.

"Hey, don't say it like that." Junpei continued to grin. "Man, I can't believe you guys have that power too!"

"We found him the other night wandering the streets." Akihiko explained.

"I was crying like a baby when the sempais found me." He admitted. "But hey! Can't wait to kick some Shadow ass with you guys at the Dark Hour!"

Ezi smiled. "Welcome aboard, Junpei. Don't slow us down."

"Heyyy, didn't you just start too? What about you slowing me down?"

"About that," Mitsuru whipped her velvet hair from her face, "I will have Ezi leading operations first tonight."

"Really, me?" She stammered. "T-that's awesome. Great!"

"What?" Junpei was the first to protest. "But she's a girl!"

"Upon analysis, she seems to have the most skill and most control of her Persona powers." Mitsuru leaned to Junpei. "And Junpei, if you demean her status as leader because of her gender, I will execute you."

He chuckled nervously. "Hey, I'm not saying that just because she's a girl or anything. I-I have no problem with that!"

"Good. We will head out soon to Tartarus."

"Oh yeah. Where is it?" Ezi asked excitedly.

"You'll find out."

Yukari, Akihiko, Junpei and Ezi were lead by Mitsuru to the Iwatodai train station, where they took a late monorail to Gekkoukan High. Junpei had a large sword on his back, Yukari carried a bow and arrow strapped to her, and Ezi held her naginata. They marched like amateur warriors to the front of their high school.

"Sempai, why are we here?" Junpei whined. "Its bad enough I have to be here during the day."

"Just wait until midnight." Akihiko answered. "You'll see."

Ezi flipped her phone open. The time was 11:59, then 12. The earth shook, they sky grew green, and the pentagonal structure before them collapsed into the earth as if it had been smashed down, then exploded upward like a tall bean stalk, penetrating the dark sky. The school had transmogrified into a tilting, spiraling tower above their heads, so high up they couldn't even see the top. The light from giant door blushed onto the sakura trees that led to the staircase and the entrance of the impossible tower. A clock decorated with a thin lines of light around it encompassed the top of the arch blue doorway, and the entire tower seemed to glow a faint lime into the air.

They were speechless. Junpei managed to say a few words of nonsense, and Ezi could feel the tingling in her fingertips as to what lay before them: a tower of destruction and exuberating excellence.

"Welcome to Tartarus." Enlightened Mitsuru. "Its safe to go in. Follow me."

Inside, there was a large, great hall, like a ballroom. There was a small, rectangular blue door on the north wall, a green bright light on the south wall, and the tile was checkered encircling a gold and white pattern that was under a blue pathway. It reached diagonally upward towards a round mechanism that reflected a clock entangled with a safe.

Mitsuru had her arms folded. "The doorway you see up there is enchanted. It will take you into the fifth floor of Tartarus."

"The fifth floor?"

"That is where Akihiko and I were before he became injured. Think of this door as an elevator: it will take you to the last floor you were on when you walked through Tartarus. You go up the stairways to reach new floors, and you find those-" She pointed with her finger on her arm to the green glow, "-on certain floors, and you will be able to return here to the first floor using that teleporter."

"Teleporter? This place really is like magic!" Junpei exclaimed.

"Our cell phones have no service inside Tartarus, so we use these enhanced ear buds and amplifier to communicate. I will be briefing you from out here."

"Uh, you're not coming with us, sempai?" Junpei asked.

"It is important to have at least one or two of us out here for back-up, in case something happens inside. We will be here in case any of the people with Apathy syndrome, the lost, don't come wandering in here and get involved during our operations."

"Oh, right. We wouldn't want civilians involved." Yukari agreed.

"Right. Also, my Persona can sense power, so I'll be able to brief and warn you of any strong shadows from here. Now then, are you ready to enter?"

"Sure." Ezi exclaimed. "But uh, what's that blue door over there?"

"Blue door?" Akihiko echoed. "What blue door?"

"You seeing things, Ezi?" Yukari added.

…It occurred to her that no one else could see it. She told them she wanted to stretch a little, and when they were not looking her way, she moved closer to the door and ran into it before they noticed.

It was the Velvet Room.

"Hello!" Theo, the servant, said from behind Igor's chair. "How may I assist you this evening?"

"What?" She yelled. "How are you here? I thought—"

"Ah, yes." Igor interrupted. "This is the first time you have come here willingly."

"…Yeah. So, what, you guys are in this invisible door whenever I need you?"

"Only those who have signed the contract can see this room."

"Yeah, yeah, you mentioned that before. So, I can come here whenever I need to, during the Dark Hour?"

"Yes. In order to manage your Persona, you may come here to adjust your abilities, strengths, and even fuse them. You will learn more in time as you begin to use your power."

"Ah, but I gotta go use the power first, right? Get stronger."

"Yes, that would be the appropriate action." Igor tapped his gloved fingers together. "Is there anything we can assist you with now?"

"Um… probably not." She stepped back towards the door. "Bu-bye." She walked back onto the first floor of Tartarus, where the others were still chatting.

"Sorry guys! I'm back!"

"Back from where?" Yukari asked. "You only just stretched for like, a second."

"Ah…" Time must not flow at all when she was in the Velvet Room. "Never mind!"

"You sure are weird, I hope you're ready to lead." Junpei stated.

"More than ever!"

As operations began, Mitsuru talked to them through from the amplifier as they entered the giant safe of a doorway that lead to the first floors of Tartarus. The adventure was blurred with information from Mitsuru and endless checkered shamrock and moss hallways of ambiguity. "Stay cautious. The enemies grow stronger the higher up you go. It's better to surprise the enemy rather than them turning the corner on you."

It occurred to Ezi in their first fight that no manner of instruction would allow her new comrades and her safety from the threats in the labyrinth.

She wanted to march with the excitement she had felt earlier, but she pictured the dark Shadow from the previous night, and she had other people, friends, stalking behind her probably with the same fear she possessed:

The fear of failure.

She clenched the naginata in her hand. Their first encounter was around the corner. She pressed her back against the wall, and Junpei and Yukari followed her actions.

"Okay, let's try to stand around the Shadows—surround them, so they can't attack us all in one hit."

"Good idea!" Yukari's enthusiasm seemed to lighten the possibility that this plan would work.

"Mitsuru, you said you could sense them, right? How large are they, and how many?"

Mitsuru's voice came through like static, incapable of hearing clearly. Great—How was she supposed to lead when she could not even work the equipment? Ezi fidgeted the channel in her ear in a sort of calm, panic until she found a channel she could hear Mitsuru through.

"—Three of them, and they appear to be small. Do you copy?"

"Yes! Okay…" She was sweating all over, and for a moment she wondered if the others could see her swelling up from the anxiety.

 _Take a deep breath! Close your eyes…Focus. You've done this before. You don't know how, but you know you have…_

"Let's go!"

There they were, in the small, green room—Shadows. They were much smaller than the one Ezi had faced the other night, but slightly bigger than the ones that had dispersed from its remains. They were sloppy, black puddles on the floor with blue masks; the brows were furrowed and aligned with the straight nose that lied between the black holes for eyes. They had claws, which they used to drag their sludge across the tile.

Since she was first, Ezi hopped to the other side of the room, and Yukari and Junpei spread out around them as well. The Shadows didn't seem to have a plan, as two of them went for Ezi, and the other crawled for Junpei.

Yukari shakily raised an arrow and her bow into place. "Please hit!" She shot at the one aiming for Junpei, and it cut through the side of the sludge. Ezi wondered with irritation for a moment if she had left her to deal with the other two on purpose, then she ran back.

One was crawling faster than the other, making a strange moaning sound as it preyed towards her—and she sliced through it with a hard swing upward. The other continued with a faster pace at her. Junpei raised his sword up and used it to slice down on what was left of the Shadow that was coming towards him. He cut down imprecisely through the top of it mask, into its soft blackness.

"Shit!" The Shadow clawed Ezi's leg, brushing red into her long white sock. After its swing, she managed to dive her naginata into its head, and like the others, it dispersed into black spots in the air and disappeared.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I should have helped!" Yukari yelled.

"I'm fine. Its just a scratch." She wiggled her foot to shake off some of the sting. "I think I've had worse injuries. Let's keep going-" She realized she was frowning, and Junpei and Yukari looked upset by this.

"Well you kicked both Shadow's butt! P-pretty cool." Junpei seemed as if he was already breathing heavily under his voice.

"Uh, yeah. Let's keep going."

Mitsuru came through clearer through the ear buds. "There's more Shadows on this floor. I want you guys to stay on that floor for tonight. You'll likely spot some stairs, but for training purposes, it would be more suitable for you all to get used to fighting there."

"She's right… by the way, you all did well your first fight." Ezi decided to force a smile. She wanted to be more excited, but she knew she needed to have more confidence, first.

"Heh, thanks." Junpei nodded.

"There are some larger Shadows two blocks ahead of you. Keep moving right in every direction."

More of them would be coming. If they were as slow as the ones they had just faced, this first night shouldn't be so hard.

But of course, they weren't.

There were two of the same as before, and two that appeared to be floating hands. They looked like giant white gloves. The fingers dangled towards the ground as they scoped the area, and their round blue head at the top was carved like the masks of the sludge Shadows.

"Those are new…" She whispered. Her cut leg caused her to wince and her foot made a sound when it crunched against the tile. The hands turned around to the noise quickly. Shit, she had messed up! Without word, she turned and faced the approaching monsters. Yukari and Junpei ran into the room. As they tried to circle them like before, the Shadows were already coming for them.

"Damn it! There's more this time!" Junpei realized.

He had already pointed his evoker to his head, and the energy behind him began to form.

Ezi realized this was a good idea since they were outnumbered. She reached for her gun and stepped back before the two hands could reach her.

"Perso-!" Her back hit the wall, hard. One of the hands raised itself up and smacked her sideways. She rolled and allowed the pain to sink in. She was already exhausted, but she knew she had to get up.

Junpei's Persona, a much larger being, came out from the corner of the room, and it was sliding into the ground towards the hands. It kicked one of them into wall, smashing it to oblivion.

Ezi caught a glimpse of its masterful form with wide doe eyes: an anthropomorphic, thin armored being with golden wings levitating around its braced, pointed shoes. The wings lifted the Persona to float neatly and straight up for a moment. It took her a moment to calculate that this wonderful creature was someone else's Persona who had saved her. It disappeared as quickly as it had sprung forth, and the other hand was dangling towards her.

Junpei had saved her; the obnoxious boy from the classroom in the high school she had just started attending, on the island she had chosen to come to. Mitsuru had asked her to be the leader, but she was already messing up. Doubt crept in, she knew it, and it was overcoming her and her awareness of the situation.

It was a tiny thing, really—maybe the hand was half her size? She pulled the trigger to her head again.

"Orpheus!" The rounded body, golden creature with auburn flowing hair was floating before her. It spun with dexterity and then bashed its massive harp into the hand, smashing it.

She could do it.

Orpheus vanished. She ran back into the room and saw Yukari backed into a corner.

"Summon your Persona!" Ezi ordered.

Yukari already had her evoker pointed to her forehead. "I… I can't!"

This was why.

Ezi herself had no time to doubt, to let depression of failure sink in—others' lives were on the line. That was why she needed the confidence. She summoned Orpheus again.

"Bash that Shadow down!" The Persona followed suit and dashed over to the shadow as it was about to prey on Yukari, and it splattered into nothingness.

"S-sorry!" Junpei was using his sword downward as a crutch. "When I summoned my Persona the first time, it took a lot out of me!"

"You did good, Junpei." Ezi patted Yukari's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I… I don't know why I couldn't do it…"

"Hey, we're both not having a great first night in here. Let's just shake it off, okay? Besides, I want to see your Persona."

Yukari's face was dripping. She swallowed her despair and nodded.

"Okay."

There had been one more small Shadow that Ezi took out with one slice of her weapon. They passed a dead end with a green pod of light, similar to the one on the ground beside the entrance inside Tartarus. Then they found another room with three Shadows: Two Cowardly Mayas, which were the puddle-like Shadows, and one Magical Hand. Junpei summoned his Hermes Persona again, and it sent several slashes of air towards the magical hand, dicing it up and vanquishing it.

Ezi could feel her muscles had tensed up, her body was already becoming sore. She summoned Orpheus again, and it used fire power that blazed the Maya into crisp.

Yukari was frozen as the other Maya crawled towards her with a terrible scream.

"Yuka-tan!" Junpei was about to lung for them, but Ezi jumped in front of him.

"Hold on!"

"But, she needs help!"

"Just wait!" She snapped back. They watched Yukari pull her gun out again in the same notion, but as it grew closer, she had yet to pull the trigger.

"You can't do nothing forever! Fight back!" Ezi yelled.

"I… can… do it!" The energy swirled around Yukari, and Lo, her Persona, appeared. It was a small woman with blonde hair and a dark body, her little arms crossed over her chest as she rested upon her throne that resembled the statue of a calf's head. Lo used magic, and it summoned a verdant wind that was so fierce and so direct, the gust soared downward into the Shadow and it was gone.

"Yes!" Yukari cheered.

"Excellent work you three. There doesn't appear to be anymore Shadows on this floor. You remember that green light you saw? Head back to it and walk into it. It will bring you straight back here."

The three followed Mitsuru's orders and walked one by one into the light. Like an elevator doorway, it seemed the bright green light stepped them back into the entrance with Akihiko, Mitsuru, and the Velvet room blue door, as if they had never left.

Mitsuru was smiling, and she seemed too calm to Ezi's liking for a moment.

"Welcome back! So, how was it?"

Upon recalling it, she realized she had only made mistakes because of her doubt, and she knew it wouldn't be the first time. Still, the thrill of fighting, there was no way she didn't want to do it again.

"No problem!"

"I see. Well if you gained confidence that's the best thing you could have achieved."

"It took a moment, but I think we all did." Ezi gave them a thumb- up.

"That's right! And damn, I never knew I had that kind of power, but damn I'm beat…" Junpei took off his cap and wiped his brow with his sleeve.

"That's because you were bouncing around like a little kid." Yukari teased.

"Eh, you look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."

"I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually."

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour. You'll become fatigued much more easily." Explained Mitsuru.

"Oh, I thought I was just out of shape!" Ezi declared. "Still, it'd be good to do some extracurricular activities in the real world to make sure I stay in shape for the Dark Hour."

"That is a good idea, but don't tire yourself out too much. Don't worry, you'll adapt." Mitsuru placed her hands on her hips, seeming to analyze the three explorers of the unknown world. "Still, you all did better than I had expected. At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."

"Heh, we'll see about that." He said smugly. It occurred to Ezi that while she seemed to do just fine with Yukari and Junpei, what about when the prideful sempai returned? It could end up causing conflict. In any event, combining her powers with that of her teammates, they were able to stand against the Shadows.

The team called SEES, meant to exterminate and battle dark creatures of the impossible night, left the impossible tower and returned to their dorm before the impossible time ended.

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TO BE CONTINUED!

 **a/n: I changed up the part about Akihiko introducing the femprotagonist to the weapons. I know Junpei was supposed to be there, but I** **wanted them to be alone so they could fight XD Anyway have a great day! R &R!**

 _Farewell, my dearest~_


	4. Date 4: The Social Links

A/N: Some of the chapters are too long, so I'm breaking them up into smaller parts! I originally had 30 chapters (5 for each block), but there will be more on here since them breaking them down into parts. This is the first one so just a heads up. Thanks!

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Persona 3 Portable

Date 4: The Social Links

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There was no denying it. She was fatigued when she got up the next morning. She had wished her body was as excited as her spirit was, but it felt drained, like she was on her period, or she had jogged a thousand miles.

Yukari had left early without her, so she took the train to school by herself. A few minutes into the train ride, she was about to put on her headphones when someone stood in front of her seat.

"Morning. I didn't know we were on the same train." Akihiko moved over and remained standing, holding the bar beside them.

Seeing him caused her to panic, for a moment.

"Oh, yeah… makes sense since we're in the same dorm I guess."

"Oh, right. Well, aside from you know what, things have been real crazy the past couple of days."

She smirked, thinking of her own situation. "No kidding? Tell me about it…"

And then, he proceeded to tell her about it. How he had to go to the doctor constantly to check up on his injuries—how he had to stay in boxing practice but he couldn't participate—tests coming up-the apathy cases on the news—She was surprised he could ramble so much.

"It must be weird to balance normal life also."

"You'll get used to it. Anyway, are you all right? You must be a bit confused too about this place since you just transferred here."

"I, uh, I'm alright."

"Seriously? You don't have to lie to act tough-"

"I wasn't-"

"But if I could I would take your position, but I can't. Man, I'm so bored I feel like I'm dying."

"Why don't you read a book or something?"

He scoffed. "Yeah, right. All I can think about is training."

"I suppose that makes sense when you have a one track mind."

"Heh, you sound like Mitsuru. Well, you're going to be leading for a while. The way you fought last night was pretty impressive."

"Seriously? I could have done better."

"Don't put yourself down, it was your first night."

"No, I mean it. Like, I know I've fought battles before, and I know I have way more skills I need to unlock, I just…" She noticed him glaring at her seriously.

"Sorry, that probably sounds odd. Anyway, I'll continue to do my best!"

He smiled. "Thanks." It was a small grin, but it was charming. No wonder the girls were so obsessed with him.

"Hey, you think I could sneak in on a fight?" He whispered.

"How?"

"I don't know. Maybe I could put on Junpei's cap and pass Mitsuru!" Then, he frowned. "Actually, no. The consequences would be worse than any Shadow attack."

They walked to the school and to the assembly amphitheater, a huge auditorium with dull colors, filled with all the students. The staff discussed some events and school spirit motivators… as well as expectations and upcoming tests. Also, Mitsuru was the last to present as president of student council, and she gave a rather intricate, thriving speech about working hard in school. It reminded Ezi that not only would she have to be successful in Tartarus, but in her academics as well.

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Mr. Ekoda was trying to bring interest to his students in his Japanese Literature class.

"Continuing our story on Ise, which I think is safe to say that you kids may consider, 'da bomb'…"

Her mind raced on checkered tile, Shadows moving across the maze full of wonder, and discretion.

"Hey! Are you kids even listening to me?" He asked again. His rambling was unprofessional, but thinking on the long run, Ezi knew she would have to stay focused in her classes. She needed to actually be considered as someone reliable, in and out of Tartarus. Was this what she had been searching for?

Despite this thought, she was too excited to study all day. She explored the halls after school, from the school rooftop, to the library on the second floor, to the gym beyond the long corridor passed the outside courtyard, where a large tree was blossoming. Yukari took her out to the Chargall Café in Paulownia Mall after school. They discussed their day, as they had before, and would continue to do in the future, and of course their reflection upon their roles in SEES.

"This whole thing must be crazy for you, are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine! Excited, really. But, I know how serious and important this is, too."

"Y-yeah…" Yukari tapped the cup her tea was in. "I'm sorry, you wouldn't have to go through all of this if I was such a coward."

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't fight those Shadows the first night. You wouldn't have been pressured to lead if I had more guts. At first, I thought we were the same. Your parents died when you were little, right?"

It was a question Ezi had hoped to avoid, but because the tragedy was so far away, it also seemed like a simple question.

"Yes."

"My dad died when I was little. My mom and I aren't exactly on good terms. I already knew about your past from your records. It didn't seem fair I knew so I thought I'd share mine. Since you passed out that night I felt terrible… I wanted to tell you when you woke up, but I didn't have the guts to."

Ezi smiled. "I don't think you're a coward. And you can tell me anything, Yukari."

"Thanks…" She sighed in relief. "Well, sorry for the melodramatic sharing. Let's do our best tonight."

"Yeah, let's. Tea's getting cold!"

After the café, the girls were going to head back to the dorm. However, after having tea, nature was calling. They went to the restrooms that were in the back of the mall on the first floor, behind the centered fountain. Yukari didn't see the blue door that was out of place on the back wall when she rushed to the bathroom on the right wall. The door was practically glowing moonlight, and there were no signs around it, so to lack of her surprise she was able to walk through it.

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room." Theo, the servant, bowed slightly to Ezi across from the elevator room. "How may I assist you today?"

"What the-WHAT?"

Theo stammered. "Pardon?"

"H-how are you here? In a mall?"

"Ah, yes. Even outside of Tartarus, we will be able to assist you with your personas. This is the only other place you will find the Velvet Room in your world for you to enter through."

"At least I know this isn't all a dream then. Or, maybe I am going insane…"

"I'm afraid I cannot assist you with inferring if this reality is true or not." Theo stood up tall with his arms folded behind his back as he always would. "Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"Um, no. Thanks, Leo."

 _"Theo."_

"Right, I just said that. I-I'll be seeing you."

"Before you go," Igor spoke rather loudly from his lounge chair, "I would like to tell you my true purpose and how I am meant to help you on your journey."

"Oh, I thought your true purpose was to sit there and confuse me more."

"I am here to assist you in managing your Personas."

"Plural—What? What does that mean?"

"If you are unsure, perhaps you will find out the next time you use your power. But, I will help you organize and understand their powers."

"Okay, thanks. Are you sure your job isn't to be more confusing?"

"You can come here anytime you like from your world. Farewell for now." Igor laced his fingers together and propped his chin on them.

"Alrighty… goodbye, then." Ezi waved to the supernatural team and left the room. Yukari stepped out of the bathroom.

"There you are. Did you go yet? It's getting late on us." Ezi thought about telling Yukari what she had just seen, but it appeared Yukari and the others couldn't even see the Velvet Room anyway.

"You're right, let's go."

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They returned to Tartarus; the lime collared halls, with scarlet dripping from the walls.

Junpei, Yukari and Ezi marched on. Even though Mitsuru was instructing them, this all seemed more than natural to Ezi. Using a weapon to fight, summoning a being with elemental powers, fighting the darkness in a foreign world; it rang truths that had yet to make a full circle.

This night, they were able to take the flat stairways up to higher floors. Yukari seemed more confident in summoning her Lo, and Junpei, excited and ambitious, never hesitated to swing his sword or summon Hermes. They fought several of the same monsters at first, from the Magical Hands to the Cowardly Maya blobs, and then more began to appear the higher up they approached.

"There are three strong enemies on the next floor," Mitsuru had managed to sense the power of the Shadows using her own Persona, a creature Ezi had yet to see.

There were three magical hands stopping them from reaching the next floor, and Ezi realized she had not tried to use Orpheus's magic on them yet.

She felt sadistic—picturing the moment Orpheus would wave her gloved hand fluently in front of her to cast Agi, a fire spell that would ignite and burn the Shadow to a crisp in a matter of seconds. Yet, when she did this notion on the hand Shadow in the middle, the fire did something unexpected.

"Why didn't that work?" She yelled. She jumped away, watching the fire twirl into the palm of the hand as it continued to float towards her without any whims. It began swatting at her, and she barely hopped away before its heavy fingertips made contact.

"Leon-san, did you get that?" Mitsuru was yelling in one of her ears.

"Sorry, what?" Junpei charged after one of the hands, but he had to stop and block using his blade when it shot fire at him.

"—Shadow's arcana—"

"What?"

"Fire is its power, so fire won't work on it!"

Fire didn't work for some reason? It was the only magical power Orpheus had. Yukari had summoned Lo and shot the wind power, guru, up from the ground and shattered the other hand.

She would have to use something else. She wouldn't be able to use her Naginata all the time, this was clear from how dangerous proximity was with most of the Shadows. A new power—

The evoker to her head. Something needed to be released, something cold—Maybe Orpheus could—

It wasn't Orpheus that materialized, but a slender figure in white, with icy blue skin. One arm was up like a ballerina, with the relaxed wrist inward to her body, and dark indigo hair was twirled up onto her head with white beads.

"That's…" The name came as naturally as her own, "Apsarus."

Apsarus thrashed her wrist down, and a cold burst filled the room, and a shard of ice dropped onto the magical hands head. It was vanquished.

 _So this is what Igor was talking about… more than one Persona._

"Dude! What Persona was that?" Junpei and Yukari raced over to her with the Shadows gone.

"Um, a new one, I guess?"

"But, what about Orpheus?" Yukari wondered.

"She's still there… I can feel her." Ezi tightened her fist. "I just needed a new power I guess."

"My, what a realization…" Mitsuru sounded amused, "its rare to find someone who can control more than one Persona. I'm impressed. Still, you should be careful how you use your power. But, I think as you become stronger, so will your Personas."

"Wait! No one else has more than one Persona?" She was still looking at her open hand. "How can that be? I can't be the only one…"

"Well, Ikutsuki-san said it wasn't unusual if someone could control more than one." Mitsuru continued. "However, it is rare. All the more reason for you to be leading at this time."

"Ah, right." She couldn't help but grin. "We should fight these larger Shadows, then stop for the night."

After fighting the three large birds with black wings on the next floor, it was apparent they were all becoming quite adjusted to fighting. The birds soared around them in a circle like vultures, and they could reach them, so they relied on their Persona's magic to knock into their wings and cause them to crash. One of them tried swooping down to grab Yukari with its claws, but Junpei managed to thwack his blade down and cut off its wing. Lo used guru to blow the birds back into the wall, and the remaining two crashed.

"Here's our chance for an all out attack!" Yukari yelled. The three pounced on the birds like raging children, stabbing and sticking their equipment into the Shadows like a dog pile, until it dissolved.

"Excellent! You three are getting the hang of this." Mitsuru complimented. "Let's stop for tonight. Great work."

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Much to her surprise, Junpei invited her out to the ramen shop at the strip mall after school one day. She was exhausted from the previous night's battling, as was he, but her stomach had been growling all day.

The ramen shop was a small, wooden space—flyers of events covered the walls, and you could see the frying template from the bar, which is where they sat.

"Man, I just gotta get used all this in still, you know?" Junpei was like a jittery bug, tapping his knuckles on the table.

"Yeah, it still feels strange, but exciting!"

"I agree—Hey, we'll have two specials!" The quiet, overweight chef nodded, as he seemed to have their bowls out already.

"Specials?"

"Its all you're gonna need—its awesome! Pure, awesomeness."

It was indeed delicious. Her perception of Junpei was to assume he was some sort of flirt, yet she decided to eat with him anyway. Had they not both been in SEES, there was no way she would have gone out with him alone.

"Still," He seemed to continue bantering, "guys and girls in the same dorm together…. Doesn't sound like a good thing."

"Stop smirking like that!"

"I can't help it! You know its true. People are already talking about how the new girl is in the same dorm as Akihiko Senada."

"Like I care." She slurped the last of her ramen. "So good. I needed this, thanks!"  
"Well, Yukari told me how you defended her the first night you got your powers. She also told me you ended up in the hospital. Take it easy, y'know? We still need you in Tartarus."

She blinked a few times at him. "You… invited me out because you were concerned?"

"Well, yeah. I wasn't sure about us all working together in this situation, but we gotta make the best of it, right?"

"You have very high spirits."

"Thanks?"

"No, really! It puts me in a good mood too, so… thank you. I wasn't sure about going into Tartarus with you guys either, but, we've held our own so far, haven't we?"

"Yeah! Cheers to that!" They clinked their glassed of water together, and Ezi decided she had made a new friend.

"Oh! You gotta try the sweet bean bun they have here too!"

"Sweets?" She exclaimed. "My favorite! You're some sort of **Magician** , aren't you? You know me too well already!"

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One morning to school, Yukari walked with Ezi. A loud student was talking to another student about the Apathy Syndrome her creepy neighbor had, and that the athletic clubs were now accepting new members. This would be her opportunity to stay in shape, outside of Tartarus!

She had a bit of homework in every subject, but she applied herself to join the basketball team in the gym right after school. Anxiety struck her for a moment, but then she remembered her favorite past times—playing against the boys on their outside court with her friends- and somebody else—

The girls were stretching in the center circle of the gym. Ms. Kanou was the "coach", and she stood there with perfect straight hair in her pencil skirt suit and heels. She was a rather young-looking and slender woman, but apparently she taught in the day too.

"Have you come to join? Splendid! You are a junior, yes?"

"Y-yeah. I'm Ezi Leon." She did the customary Japanese bow. "Nice to meet you all!"

A keen-looking girl with ebony hair, pale skin and dark eyes stood beside Ms. Kanou.

"Rio is our Junior team captain. She'll show you the ropes today!"

"Oh, I don't have to try out or anything?" Ezi asked.

"Well, hopefully you're good," one of the girls giggled, "we're desperate!"

Ezi chuckled… This was going to be a piece of cake.

"Leon-san, right?" Rio shook Ezi's hand firmly. "Thanks for joining. Get dressed, we'll be doing basic muscle drills today."

"Oh—I don't have clothes!"

"Just wear your gym suit, silly!" One of the girls said. All of them obviously had those on. It was a bit gratifying and revealing, but Ezi did not like the Japanese gym clothes for girls. They had to wear a pale top shirt over their sports bra, long socks, and bloomers around their waist that resembled saggy underwear. Ms. Kanou left, having no idea how to coach basketball, and Rio instructed everyone on what to do.

As they did lay-up drills and ground exercising, she analyzed the other girls in their skill on basketball; Rio seemed to be above the rest, though everyone was at or below amateur, to say the least. There was only one tall girl other than Ezi, and she was thick and mumbled rather than speak her intentions.

It had only been drills, but Ezi could feel her desire to gasp for air—she was indeed out of shape. It had been a few months since she had played basketball, however the thought of her preparing to fight in Tartarus gave her some bursts of energy. Despite her lack of thrill, Rio still gave her praise for her work.

"Wow, I can't wait until the big trip game now! We're gonna kick butt with you on our team!" Rio said at the end of practice.

"Heh, I'll do my best! You're pretty good too."

"Thanks! I take my work very seriously." The atmosphere of the girls seemed positive, despite their lack in skill, and Ezi had made more acquaintances in her new club team. Even without Ms. Kanou, Rio seemed to guide the team like a leader on a **Chariot** , as she lead the rest of her team forward like horses.

Before she went home after practice—the dorm—she went to bookstore, as her homeroom teacher insisted on changing their books mid semester. The only authentic bookstore in town was called Bookworms-Used Books, and it was crammed in the corner of the strip mall east of the stairs.

She saw an older woman, as grey as a cloudy day, groaning and staggering down the road like she was drunk, passed the bookstore. One of the Apathy Syndrome cases. Perhaps, she would become this depressing carcass if she couldn't find answers soon, about her new powers, about her past…

She walked into the store only to be greeted with an energy she had no choice but to match. Their books weren't much in order, stalked on tables and shelves, but she did manage to get the book she needed, and the old man mentioned a Persimmon tree that was at her school somewhere.

That night, they went to Tartarus again. Junpei and Yukari were becoming more accustomed to their skills, and so Ezi had them split up on two floors to search the area and fight some Shadows alone.

Suddenly, the days blurred together—a whole week had gone by with this routine, and it didn't seem to wane. She was so busy with her basketball, homework, and Tartarus, she felt as if she would remain loyal to this agenda, almost forgetting her original purpose for having come to the island in the first place—

A few more days went by; Ezi played basketball, went out for Hagakure Ramen with Junpei, unwillingly shopped for dresses at the Paulownia Mall with Yukari, and of course…

Lead the SEES team through Tartarus. The past couple of weeks had been some of the busiest in Ezi's life, without a doubt.

And they were about to get heavier.

It was the end of April now, and Ezi was eating her lunch in homeroom—she had a paper to write.

Mitsuru appeared behind Ezi at her desk.

"Leon-san… do you have a moment?"

Did she have a choice?

Even if she was the leader on the SEES venture, Mitsuru was in charge, period.

"Of course, what is it?"

"I am aware of your busy schedule and fluctuating endeavors, however I am in need of your assistance with something that requires an irregular amount of responsibility. I don't trust this with any one else."

"…Does it involve fighting Shadows?"

Mistsuru chuckled. "I'm afraid not. I'm sorry to be in a rush, but I will discuss details with you on it after school."

"Uh, but-!"

" _Au revoir."_

…Without a doubt, she was curious. It bothered her all day, even in math class during Ms. Mayahara's lecture.

The rather lanky, afro haired woman asked Ezi a question:

"Do you know when numbers were invented?"

She hesitated, feeling the eyes of every student rest on her.

"6- no- 4… 6,000 years ago." She nodded.

"You got it, magnificent work! Someone's been studying!"

Some students whispered, and she grinned pleasantly to herself. Whatever Mitsuru wanted, surely she could handle it.

She met Mitsuru in her classroom after school.

"I apologize for making you wait."

"No problem!"

"Long story short, I want you to join student council. Would you be willing to participate within the constructs of the club?"

"Y-you want me to-?" Ezi had absolutely NO interest in politics, and student council was a check on someone's resume searching for a job in that area. "Um, why me?"

"…It's because of your leadership ability. This past month, I haven't seen anyone on campus yet with the potential you possess. You're the most qualified for the job, and I could really use the extra aid in student council. You would not have to participate every time, only when you have the time. What do you say?"

Again, did she really have a choice? For some reason, she wanted to please Mitsuru, the longest running member of SEES.

"Roger! You can count on me."

"I thought as much. Talk to Ms. Toriumi as soon as you get the chance, then meet for student council after school tomorrow afternoon."

"Yeah, sure. I'm on it!"

"Then, I will see you later." She left without another word, her graceful footsteps clanking against the tile.

"…Just perfect."

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"What?" Junpei yelled. "Mitsuru wants you to join student council, too?"

Ezi slurped her ramen up. "Yup. It should be… interesting."

"Maaaan, you girls know how to keep busy." He pointed out. "Now I really think you should reconsider that leader position."

"What, and give it to someone like you?" She teased.

"Hey hey, I'm just sayin'," He reverted, changing the subject, "Hey, I don't want to be weird, but some of the guys at the school are pretty envious of us hangin' out, and being in the same dorm and all."

"Well, I'm sorry I stole you from them."

He snorted out an abrupt laugh.

"Nah, but seriously, they talk."

"Well, that's their problem." She slurped her noodles, louder than before.

"Heh, I guess so, huh? By the way, you're not even interested in any guys at the school, are you? I mean, you've already been here for almost a month, and you don't seem to be—well, I'm not assuming all girls are boy crazy, but—"

"Seem what? Interested in guys?" She grinned. "Maybe I'm not into guys."

"Hey, whatever floats your boat," He shrugged.

"No hun, I like guys." She assured him. "I'm just, busy."

Conversations with Junpei seemed to pry this way; he'd gossip about drama, and even though she said it bothered her, it pleased her that she didn't have to bring it up herself.

"Awww, come on! There must be somebody—hey, what about Akihiko-senpai? Oh-ho! You should totally try to get with him!"

Upon hearing this, Ezi froze.

"W-why?"

"The new girl swooping in and taking the popular guy, it'd be like something from a manga!"

"Eh, I'm not interested."

"Oh, w-well not like I would make you go out with him just for kicks and to make a scene," He clarified.

"I know, but it does sound interesting, in fiction."

"Heh, well I get if you're too busy to be into guys, anyways, but you should consider it!"

"If you say so, Junpei." She frowned. "To be honest, I don't see how girls like him. I mean, I get he's captain of the boxing team, but he's just so rude sometimes. He treats us like we can't do anything on our own, like we're kids."

"Eh, guy's probably got some nerve from all the attention he gets." Junpei decided.

"You're probably right…"

"You uh, okay with everything else?"

She was tired. "I'm fine."

.

.

The next day it was basketball practice again, and she bumped into Akihiko on the outside corridor. All she could think about was the conversation before with Junpei, and made her awkward as she was presented with his pale, sweaty body.

"Hey! You been working out? Heading to the gym?" He asked, panting.

"Yes… you're not pushing yourself, are you?"

"Nah, I was just jogging to stay in shape."

"Good boy."

He chuckled. "Don't exhaust yourself too much either. See yah 'round."

"Yeah, catch you later…" She turned to wave to him but she noticed the giant tree catching the afternoon sun's rays. It truly was the most magnificent spot. She fancied the idea of it being all to herself in some quiet venture, but there was already a school girl with short brown hair sitting under the tree, reading a book.

The book reminded her of the old couple she had met in the Bookworms bookstore, and she wondered if this was the permission—persimmon, or something of rather, tree they had mentioned. The girl told her it was the Persimmon tree, so she pulled a fresh leaf from it and went to practice. On her way back to the dorm, she showed it to the old man and woman at the bookstore in the strip mall, for some reason.

"Welcome again!" The old man had curly white hair, a hunched back and an ancient sweater. "How many will we be having today? Would you prefer smoking or non-smoking?"

"Uh, what? Non-smoking, I guess?"

"Really, dear…" The old woman came from the back behind the counter, "must you scare all the young ones away?"

"I think she thinks my jokes are funny!"

"Right, well, I just wanted you see this… the leaf from the tree you mentioned before?"

"No way!" The old man grabbed it from her hands in a soft, swift stroke. "The leaves are so big now! He'll be so happy to see this! You came here to show us this?"

"Um, yeah. It's a really pretty tree. I pass by it every time I go to practice."

"You see, Mitsuko? I told you she was kind hearted!" The old man slapped his thigh. "Most kids these days are so rude to old folks!"

"I'm sorry to hear that…"

"I'm Bunkichi! I think. And, this is my lovely wife for many years, Mitsuko!"

The tiny old, sagging woman had her hair slicked down on either sides from the middle of her head. She had grey eyes, aging spots on her face, and she wore an apron.

"Nice to meet you, dearie."

"I'm Ezi, nice to meet you both."

"Ezi-chan! Well, if you need a discount on schoolbooks, we will see what we can do. Sound good?"  
"You're both too kind—thank you, really. Anyway, I just wanted to show you the tree is all-"  
"Oh no you don't!" Bunkichi hopped out from behind the counter, dancing towards her. "You doing okay, kid? Most students would rather be out shopping or with their boyfriends or something—I mean I know I'm attractive, but my wife's here!"

She chuckled. "I-I'm okay. I've just been so busy. This place just kind of seems peaceful… even though it's, not completely organized in here."

"Ah high school!" Bunkichi raised the pipe in his hand. "Look kid, it feels like it's a big deal, and it kind of is, but you'll have to learn to balance your high school life and take it easy once and while! You still got your whole life ahead of you, but try to take in the now, y'know?"

She felt warm. "Yeah, thank you. I understand what you mean. I've had all this responsibility put on me lately, but you're right! I just need to breathe once and while and enjoy it."

"Atta girl!"

"Thank you for stopping by, dearie."

The nice couple gave her a manga book for free; some old, first edition version of an action/romance series called Retroman—and the old couples knowledge would eventually become her **Hierophant.**

After that, it felt like a dream when she visited the Velvet Room in the mall—Igor was perched in his chair, nose down, and Theo was standing behind his chair as the never-ending elevator room continued to spire under an eternal clock.

"Welcome back," it was Igor that spoke with his amused tone, "it would seem in a short time, you have created many new Persona and gained power with your social links—unwittingly you have grown inside and out of your life involving your Personas. I look forward to seeing how well you use this power… Until next time…"

.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: What are your thoughts on Ezi so far? I feel like as the leader, she can't be a completely unaware, but I did want her to be unaware of social statuses, or at least not care for them. I also wanted her to be lighthearted, but maybe its too early for an analysis... any way part 2 of ch4 is coming soon!

Thanks! Please R&R!


	5. Date 45: The More Social Links

~Persona 3 Portable~

Date 4.5: More Social Links!

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.

Yukari pointed the gun to her head, and in pulling the trigger, Lo appeared. The anthropic woman on her golden calf head summoned a green wind that knocked the Shadows into the next wall. Ezi jumped down on them and sliced through their forms with her Naginata, and Junpei took out the last Shadow using Hermes, who slide down and crushed it with his sleek shoes.

"There is an unusual power on the next floor, be careful."

"Mitsuru, is it a Shadow?"

"I'm not sure, but stay cautious, all of you."

Junpei, Yukari and Ezi marched up the stairs to the next, tiny floor. It was a small space with a green portal to the right of it, and there was a staircase up ahead, however a green light encircled it like a magical barrier, and there was a tiny gold crested clock on a pole in the center of it.

"What the hell?" Junpei lowered his sword.

"It seems this way is blocked." Mitsuru realized. "The power I sensed is blocking my powers beyond this point."

"No way! So, we can't go any farther?" Yukari carped.

"It would appear not. But, we could still train on the other floors, until we find a way to get through this block."

Ezi pursed her lips. It seemed their traveling upwards would cease for a moment. Even if she wanted to try to break it, they were all probably too drained to face whatever lay beyond to the next floor. They returned to the first floor using the portal, and there some small relief in the thought that they could not travel as far anymore. Everyone could rest a bit, and study for tests, and focus on their clubs—herself especially.

She wrote in her itinerary during class, drawing some of the Shadows she had seen up to the blocked floor, and drawing the Personas she had obtained so far, like Apsaras and Pixie and Poisma.

"Helllooo, Ezi? You're gonna be late!" Yukari chided.

"I-huh? Late for what?"

"Didn't Mitsuru have you join the Student Council? How rude of her, considering everything else you have to do… Anyway, you don't want to be late for the first meeting."

The student council room, thankfully, was just down the hall from the 2F classroom. It was a dimly lit classroom with a chalkboard. There was a girl and a guy with buns who were sitting by each other at the desks, another girl with glasses and long brown hair, a guy standing in the front with dark white hair, slicked back, and sagging eyes, and Mitsuru was next to him.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce Elizabeth Leon. She'll be helping us out with some of the work we need to catch up on, and has graciously decided to be a part of student council."

"Nice to meet you all." She bowed, too quickly. The girl with the buns chuckled, and the boy next to her followed suit.

"I'm Chihiro," the long haired girl said, "I-I'm a second year, and I'm treasurer, it's my first time! So I'll be learning the ropes with you…"

She couldn't remember the annoying boy and girls name or what they did.

"I'm Hidetoshi Odegari." The boy with the slicked hair declared, "I'm in charge with Mitsuru as a representative, and head of discipline."

"Nice to meet you," Ezi fidgeted her hands, "I'll do my best here."

"See that you do." Hidetoshi began sizing her up, and Ezi reverted her eyes, as if she hadn't noticed. She was definitely out of her element here, but she found herself proclaiming suggestions as they discussed events their first meeting.

The boy who acted like an **Emperor** , or some sort of self-proclaimed king- kept eyeing her during their discussions. She could not tell if he was actually intrigued by her good ideas, or if he was just examining her lady figure, which bothered her for a moment.

 _Stupid!_ Ezi hit her hand on the wall next to the movie theater. _That creep Hidetoshi was checking me out! Usually I would have said something, but because I was trying to be so humble in student council…_

She was angry at herself for letting it go by untouched. He did seem the type to make a big deal out of something like being in charge of student council; even though Ezi could have cared less about that sort of order.

She walked out in front of the ticket booth with a smile. She could see Yukari and Junpei were waiting for her.

"What's up, gang?"

"There you are!" Yukari already had pocorn, and Junpei was slurping on a soda.

"We came back out here to wait for you. We thought you were caught up with Student Council."

"I'm good. Ready to go in? I just have to get my ticket-"

"Junpei actually already got it for you."

"Aw, that was sweet!"

"I just wanted to make sure you had a seat when you finally showed up. I'm so excited about this action flick! Let's go!"

The team of three went to Wild-Duck Burger afterwards, the rather, westernized fast-food restaurant on the second floor of the strip mall.

"Man, that villain was lame…" Junpei critiqued as they waited for their orders.

"Whatever, it was actually not as bad as I thought it was gonna be." Yukari sighed. "I have to use the ladies room. I'll be right back."

"It was pretty good. A little corny, but good."

Junpei nodded. "Hey, I think we better be careful!"

"W-why?"

"People might get the wrong idea with us hanging out together like this!"

"Junpei… not this again." Despite her tone, she was smiling. "You relish in these moments, don't you? If you weren't so good with that sword, I would have injured you long time ago for being a pervert!"

"Hey, I'm just saying! I mean, it looks like there's a lot of guys interested in you."

"Well, you know how interested I'm in in all that news."

"You're like a less pretentious version of Mitsuru. You do all this popular work, but you're still cool."

"I'm… sorry? Thanks?"

"Well, I've got my goals too, you know! So, I won't bother you with gossip if it's annoying to you."

"I don't mind it so much."

They seemed to stop the banter when Yukari returned, and they all enjoyed their delicious burgers and fries and returned to the dorm together.

She walked into the dorm with them, grinning.

"Hey, guys."

Ikutsuki-san was visiting and sitting on the couch, looking over some files, and Mitsuru and Akihiko seemed to be doing homework.

"Where have you been? The moon's already out." Akihiko demanded.

"I was out stripping to make money." She dropped her bag.

Junpei started laughing first. "Oh man! Good one, Ezi! Uh, that was a joke, right?"

"What do you mean? Of course it was!" She yelled.

"How dense are you, _Stupei_?" Yukari asked.

"Eh, cut that out! Anyway, you guys wanna go to Tartarus tonight?"

Ezi scratched her chin. "I'm pretty sure we shouldn't. We all have a test tomorrow in 2F, which you need to study for, and Mitsuru seemed busy after student council."

"Yeah, let's give it a rest today." Akihiko agreed.

"Aw, man! I don't wanna study though…" Junpei whined. After about a half hour of studying, Ezi retired to bed early. It had been quite the eventful day, and she had a strange feeling—

By midnight, her room had become a glowing green color, and the moon outside was bright yellow. The Dark Hour… but why was she awake?

"Good evening…"

She shot up from her bed. "Y-You! You're the boy, when I signed the contract!"

"Hi, how have you been?"

"Um, how did you get in here?" She squinted her eyes. "…You're not secretly living in the walls or something, are you?"

He chuckled, sinisterly, quietly. "Of course not, I'm always with you, that's why you can see me."

"Oh, so you're stalking me, then."

"I have been with you for a long time, so it felt right for me to tell you about time. It meets all things to the same end, you know?"

"Are, are you threatening me?" She raised her fists. "I will beat you up, little boy."

"No, I am simply telling you the truth. And, I wanted to tell you that a new ordeal awaits you...Be careful"

"Ordeal? What kind of ordeal?"

"You will encounter one of THEM—you must prepare for the ordeal, but time is of the essence… I'm sure you're aware of that, of course."

"Maybe you're talking about a Shadow?"

"I'll come see you when it's over. Goodbye for now."

She wanted to demand more answers, but for some reason, she was inexplicably calm. "I…I guess so."

"Farewell."

…The boy vanished. Ezi sighed in annoyance and attempted to go back to sleep. It seemed every time he appeared, some how it wasn't as unusual as the last time, slowly accepting the existence of him, like an oncoming Death.

One of the days they had off from school as a holiday, Ezi went to get another issue of Retroman—the manga was actually fun, even it was for a younger audience. Bunkichi and Mitsuko decided to tell Ezi about their late son, who apparently had gone to Gekkokaun High. It reminded her of the boy in the pajamas from the other night, for some reason.

"Now that we have shared a solemn story, help me find me wallet!" Bunkichi rose with his chair, and Ezi crouched down and around book stacks to help find his wallet. Finally, a resolution dashed through the door. He had skinny arms, and was a pale blonde haired blue eyed boy wearing a dark shirt.

"'Ello! _Konichiwa_ -!" He ran up to the old man. "Iz siz yours? I found it outside."

"My wallet! I've been looking for this everywhere!"

"Nice." Ezi grinned.

"Oh!" The boy turned to her awkwardly with a light skip. " _Sumimasen_ —Aren't you ze transfer student zhat everyone eez talking about?"

"You here that, Ezi-chan? You're famous!"

"I'm not talking about the transfer student," Ezi shrugged, "so everyone isn't talking about me. Do you go to my school?"

"Yez! I came 'ere from France to study abroad."

"Well, nice to meet you! Can I ask your name?"

"My name eez Andre Laurent Jean Geraux."

"Wow…"

"But, zhey call me Bebe, for short!"

"That's better! My names Elizabeth Arts Leon." They shook hands. "Ezi, for short."

" _Hajime mashite_ , it eez nice to meet you too! I work in a small club at ze school, in ze Home Economics Room! If you have time, stop by and say hello!"

"That's sounds, pleasant. Thanks, Bebe."

"Sayonara—goodbye!" The mysterious foreigner left store, and Ezi followed suit. She went to Kurosawa to get some medicine and gear for Tartarus, and she noticed Yukari come from the Pharmacy thrift store with some bags. She was wearing a dark pink dress and boots.

"Fancy running into you here. They had some deals on some clothes here, so I figured I'd check it out!"

"Nice! You still shopping?"

"Yeah, let's look around a bit!"

Ezi wasn't one for shopping, but she didn't mind Yukari's company, her casual friend, who she could talk to about Tartarus and classroom happenings.

"I feel like the Apathy cases haven't decreased yet." Yukari pouted.

"Well, don't expect results so fast. We still have more of Tartarus to explore, after all!"

"I guess you're right—" Her phone began to buzz. She halted her walking in front of the fountain to take the call.

"Why are you calling me?"

It was a ruder, harsher voice from Yukari Ezi had not heard yet. It startled her for a moment, to the point of stepping back, but she could still hear Yukari's harsh whispering.

"You're gonna do that again? What's his name this time, huh? Don't yell at me! I just don't think dad would—fine. Don't call me in the day like this again, then." She slapped her flip phone shut.

Ezi felt odd. "Is… Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah! Sorry, let's head back."

Yukari's pace was fast and desperate as they walked to the dorm.

"Girl, you dropped something—" Yukari swiped it from her hand and took a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Do you know who that was on the phone? My mom…She says she wants to get remarried."

"Oh…"

"Well, I wouldn't mind that so much compared to how she has been living! Running away form life, jumping from guy to guy—I just don't think my dad would be happy about this."

"I get it. I'm not siding with your mom, but maybe this has just been her way of coping with it. I hope she will come back to life soon, for your sake."

"Thanks." She sighed again. "I feel better now. I should tell you its why I don't like all the gossip at school. I can't live the way my mom lives. I'd go crazy. I just want to wait to find someone special, you know?"

"I understand that." She blushed. "Maybe I want to be committed to someone too, which is why I don't bother with the school nonsense. The right time will come."

Yukari smiled. "I gotta say, you're like a godsend. I don't think I could just work with Mitsuru in SEES. I couldn't talk to her about Lovers and other nonsense like that. She's too serious all the time."

"Do you hate her that much?"

Yukari shook her head. "I don't hate her, but… I don't know, she bugs me for some reason… I'm sorry for being so negative about it."

"Well, maybe you just need to figure out why she irritates you. Get back to me when you do."

.

.

.

It took only a moment for Ezi to not consider closing her eyes in class, and that was when Mr. Edogawa asked her an abrupt question.

"Ezi!"

"What? Yes?"

"The question: What was the old belief that people could control ghosts called?"

"Oh…" Think! She had just went over it in her homework the night prior. "Sh…Shaminsm?"

"…Hee-hee, you shall not be haunted by ghosts after all! Yes, Shaminism had to do with…"

The kids whispered and commended quietly around her desk. She grinned, slightly proud of her minor victory.

At the end of the day, Ms. Toriumi asked to speak with her.

"You've been doing so well in your activities here at school! By the way, have you officially joined any committees yet?"

"Committee? Well, I'm in Student Council, and I play basketball…"

"Ah, but a committee is community service related. It's programs that initiate school participation."

"…Student council doesn't count?"

"I'm afraid not. Even student council members are in other committees. It shows interest and care in all areas." She chuckled, but Ezi was secretly irritated. More work to do. Maybe, though, it would be a new challenge.

"There are… two, for the third years that are available: The library committee, or the health club. Which would you like to try?"

Ugh. "The… library, committee?"

"Fantastic! I will escort you there promptly."

Ms. Ounishi was supervising the committee, and she introduced Ezi to the group, which were only about six or eight students. She addressed a mature student to escort Ezi around the library's nooks and crannies, as well as instructing her on what their duties were, from stacking books to writing about school events or literature.

"That's about it… Oh, I'm Saori by the way, nice to meet you!" Saori had short, black curly hair, light eyes and a polite smile, with a mole under her left eye.

"Oh, you must be a senior. Its nice to meet you."

"Oh yes, the other seniors are polite to me, but I am a junior, like you."

"No way! I mean you're so… much, uh-"

"Older?"

"I wasn't going to say old…"

She chuckled. "I went abroad two years, and took time off school. So, I am older, but I would appreciate it if you could treat me like a regular junior. You're the transfer student, right? I'm sure you know how it feels to stand out, so please try to act like I'm a normal junior."

"Hey, no special treatment for you! I'll act as I please towards you."

Saori understood she was joking. "Thank you." She bowed lightly, and thanks to Saori, she was taught the skills needed in order to perform her duties as a member of the library committee. Ezi thought about how Saori had a quiet spirit. She was probably just as busy as she was, yet she managed to keep a warm, hidden smile. Like a **Hermit.** She would have to learn from this.

A few more days went by. Mitsuru and Akihiko were stumped as to what to do with the sealed pathway of Tartarus. Ezi played basketball, went to another council meeting, and studied.

The three day Golden week days off from school had certainly given them a break. She watched a Tanaka show shopping program, studied, hung out with Yukari and or Junpei, and slept. A lot of sleeping.

"Let's go to Tartarus tonight for a little action!" Junpei decided one night. It was another casual evening where everyone was sitting in the lounge together.

"Yeah, I'm bored. Maybe I'll join you guys." Akihiko smirked.

"Akihiko, don't even think about it." Mitsuru demanded.

"We can go tonight." Ezi stretched her arms.

"How have you been with all of your responsibilities?" Mitsuru was asking her now.

"Oh, yeah. I'm all good. At first it was overwhelming but I kind of like staying busy."

"Good. Your ability to adapt to new environments is impressive."

"Don't say it like she's a specimen!" Junpei retorted. "Besides, she wouldn't have done so well if not for the help of her old pal Junpei!"

"Old pal? I've known you for a month, dork."

"By the way, another tip: You should try that online game I was mentioning bout before. Its gotten real popular! Maybe you can meet a cute guy online, since you're not into anyone at school."

"Right… with everything else I have to do, I'll just go meet strangers online too."

They went to Tartarus that night and fought small Shadows, even a few that had emerged into the streets of Iwatodai. Yukari with her bow, Junpei wailing about his sword, and the transfer student with her naginata, leading them all the way; they were so close to it, and there would be a full moon the next night.

TO BE CONTINUED!

a/n: Perfect! I actually edited it so most of the first social links you can get are actually in the social link chapter! **Uh does anyone think Yukari is annoying? I don't know if thats another unpopular opinion, so I thought I would ask... Her voice in english annoys me, and her backstory isn't anything to praise, but I guess the protagonist's isn't either, with the cliche parents are dead backstory. Still... she annoys me more. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it! R &R!**

 _Farewell, my Dearest~_


	6. Date 5: The Full Moon

A/N: Ugh, some of the social links can be a drag. Like I think the old couple in the game are cute, but going to see the more than 10 times to match the social link? I won't give details on every encounter for all the social links, that would be too much! Some of them will be more detailed than others and tied to the storyline more in order to help the female protagonist grow. 

Anyway I hope you're enjoying it so far! I like the slow progression of her relationship with everyone, especially with Akihiko! But I can't wait... for Shinjiro to appear 3 anyway enjoy this episode of:

.

~Persona 3 Portable~

Date 5: The Full Moon

"….So this girl in my archery class intervened, and he got real mad. Hey, are you even listening?"

"Huh?" Ezi looked at her. "Sorry, Yukari, I just have a weird feeling about tonight, that's all."

"Well, what do you mean? You think something is going to happen with Tartarus?"

"I'm not sure, but…" Ezi's phone began to buzz. "Hello?"

"This is Mitsuru. I'm letting you know the Chairmen is visiting with some information tonight, so plan on being awake for the Dark Hour."

"You got it."

She hung up.

"Mitsuru bossing us around again, huh? What did she want?"

"Oh, just some stuff. We're meeting with the Chairmen tonight."

"Ezi, hey." Akihiko approached the girls, and Yukari immediately headed inside to begin the school day, leaving Ezi to the senior alone.

"Akihiko… good morning."

"How's it going? Have you been training?"

"Of course."

"Great, keep it up. It never hurts to train while you have the chance. It's been a month already since you started with us. Keep up the good work."

It had only been a month? It felt like she had been doing this routine for years, and there were still things to adjust to.

"I'll be healed up in no time."

"That's good!"

"But, don't just rely on me."

"I… wasn't going to…"

"Great. See you 'round." He jogged into the school, and Ezi was irritated with him again. Sometimes he sounded concerned, other times he just like a profound unaware jerk.

When school ended, Ezi wondered if something would happen. It had been about a week since she saw the Pajama boy, and the significance of a month going by… She didn't attend any clubs, and hastily returned to the dorm. The sky was grey that afternoon, and she passed more than enough people with Apathy Syndrome.

That night the Dark Hour appeared, Akihiko went to the command room. Mitsuru was working at the support terminal by herself.

"You're still at it?"

"You never know when the enemy might attack. The others are counting on me."

"Can your Persona really sense outside of Tartarus, though?"

"I'm afraid not. Maybe this is the best Penthesilea can do in terms of data gathering."

"I see…"

"Still, I have seen the Persona's ability are bit more broader. We've even got someone who can switch Personas in the middle of a battle. There's something special about her ability."

Akihiko said nothing and pondered his own position compared to hers, the new transfer student. It wasn't the first time he had thought this way, but he knew she was special.

"It hasn't been long since her awakening, either." Mitsuru continued to praise.

"…I have to admit, I was surprised too. But in the end, it's up to her whether or not she can reach her full potential."

It was then that Mitsuru was able to sense a large Shadow outside of Tartarus, and Akihiko went to awake the others.

"We're here!" Yukari declared.

"Where is it at? I'll rip it a new one!" Junpei looked sleepy, but he was excited.

"I detected a Shadow outside of Tartarus." Mitsuru enlightened. "It's a large one, like before. In these cases, we must destroy the Shadow as quickly as possible. Most humans don't know the Dark Hour exists, but there would be a world wide panic if half the city was destroyed."

"In other words, we need to kick some ass, right? Well, count me in!" Junpei jumped up like an excited child.

"Akihiko, stay here and wait for the Chairman."

"What?" He bellowed.

"They'll fare better than you can. Have faith in them, Akihiko… they're ready."

"Yeah, trust us, sempai! I'll be there, so I got it covered!" Junpei declared. Ezi was trying to drown out the noise so she could mentally prepare for the serious attack.

"I guess I've got no choice." Akihiko pouted. "Ezi, you're in charge."

She looked up, almost with surprise.

"Her again?" Junpei mumbled.

"We're counting on you." Mitsuru said.

"…I know." She nodded. "I'll do what I can to help!"

Everyone noticed Junpei's mood change. "Of course you can help… you're the only one who can, apparently. It's certainly not gonna be me, so you gotta step up to the plate."

"R-right…" She felt awkward, knowing he was so upset over this.

"Guess it's pretty much decided that you're our leader, huh? Even when I'm the only guy in the group."

Mitsuru spoke first. "Whether one is a man or woman does not factor into it. The responsibility falls on those who have the gift."

"Yeah…" Ezi didn't know why Yukari couldn't stand Mitsuru. Sure, she was perfect and beautiful, but she made great points in the most dire situations.

"And let me add," Mitsuru continued to rant ferociously, "if you ever say or do anything to condescend her because she's a woman…"

"Oh, no no no! It's like I look down on her or anything!"

"You three should get going!" Akihiko seized the station. "Go grab your weapons and supplies." Yukari and Junpei headed out.

"Thank you, sempai." Ezi added.

"No problem. We will rendezvous in front of the station."

The three explorers reached the station via walking within a few minutes. They stood in front of a frozen new city passenger train called the "Anehazuru" at the Iwatodai Station. As she surveyed the area for Shadows, Ezi could see the moon was indeed full that night.

Mitsuru had yet to arrive when they saw a a rather splendid motor bike park in front of them. The driver took her helmet off to reveal that it was in did Mitsuru.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Listen, I'll be feeding you support from out here. Everything else is the same, as if we were in Taratrus. The shadow is currently located from a monorail, not far form the station. To get there, you'll have to walk on the tracks."

"Are you serious?" Junpei whined. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Don't worry. No electrical equipment is operable during the Dark Hour, remember? This includes the monorails."

"But, you're bike…"

"It's special. Now if circumstances change, I'll notify you immediately."

"Okay, let's head out then!" Ezi had stretched and prepared for this all month, whatever it truly was.

"I'll expect a sterling outcome. Good luck you three…"

They ventured passed the train down the monorail, they even walked across the bridge. It felt cool, like they were illegally trespassing in a wealthy, modern track, as they scoured the trail of electronic rail carefully. The monorail in front of them was a long, rectangular prism shape, with a blue streak across the sides of it's silver exterior that dulled in the green night air.

Mitsuru talked to them through their walkie buds and told them the Shadow's presence was inside the train monorail. Yukari jumped on the foothold leading to the train door and began climbing.

"Don't look up at me!" She snapped, implying her skirt was not suitable for coverage.

"Yeah yeah, but don't blame me if I catch I glimpse!"

"Say, Ezi… What do you say to leaving Junpei behind out here?"

"Yeah! He can take care of any small fry Shadow."

The other two followed Yukari up, and they managed to crawl around the other side to hop into the back entrance of the train. Coffin like objects were sitting in the last car of the monorail.

Junpei walked up to one. "This poor stiff must be a passenger."

Suddenly, as if the power was back on, all the monorail door's shut.

Yukari gasped. "What the hell?"

"Damn!" Ezi banged and tried to pull the door open.

"What happened?" Mitsuru asked.

"It looks like we're trapped inside…" Yukari cursed.

"It must be the Shadow! It knows you're there. Proceed with caution to the next car!"

"Roger that. Let's go guys." Ezi lead them up a few cars, but all they saw on the way was empty rooms with a few coffins.

"Its so quiet it's creepy…" Yukari whispered.

"Shh!" Ezi stalked into the next car quietly, barely poking her head and staff in.

"There's a Shadow!" She whispered back to them. They looked over her to see a screaming Tiara with a large ring around its head, sway like a ghost into the next cart ahead.

"Leave it to me! I'll finish this now!" Junpei almost pushed Ezi into the doorway trying to get through.

"Wait!" Mitsuru snapped.

"But, if we don't go after it, we're gonna lose it!"

"Ezi, you're in charge, what do you think?" Yukari asked.

"I, uh, think we should be cautious."

Mitsuru responded. "I agree. It would be foolish to run after it."

Junpei whizzed passed her. "Fine! You guys just stay back and watch me beat it all by myself!"

"Junpei, w-wait!" Yukari yelled. "Ugh, that idiot, Stupei!"

"Iori has gone by himself, I hate to say this, but you'll have to catch up to him." Mitsuru mumbled.

Ezi and Yukari were about to venture on, but then Yukari gasped. "Look out! Behind us!"

A grey, floating, ghostly Shadow with a tiara and a book over its head and pink mask was flying at them. Yukari shot her arrow, and it was defeated.

"Let's watch each other's back, there could be more shadows that appear to surround us." Ezi said.

They went on to two more carts, but no sign of Junpei. A Heat Balance shadow, with a Cross-like body, and another Spurious Book shadow appeared. Yukari shot the book with her arrow, and Ezi used Orpheus to smash the cross before it could use fire and ice on them.

"He's not in this one either." Yukari carped. "He should know it's too dangerous to go alone…"

"He does know it."

"Yeah but he's acting weird. Did you say something to upset him. Ezi?"

"Me? No, I don't think…" She thought about his attitude from earlier.

"Well, we can ask him once we've caught up to him!"

Finally, in the next car, there was a great amount of commotion: A dancing, glittering pink hand, a Spurious Book, and a Heat Balance were all attacking him at once.

"Junpei!" Yukari cried. There were four shadows in front of him, and he was slashing clumsily at all of them.

"I-I got this! Don't worry—" The Spurious Book flew down and hit him in the head, and he fell sideways. The Shadows were about to dog pile him. Yukari saw Ezi in her sights; she had whacked the Shadows back with her spear before they could reach Junpei.

"Get up!" She said, not looking at him, holding her stance. She sliced through the hand, and Yukari shot the Balance Heat, clearing the car.

Junpei scrambled back up and dusted his knees off.

"See what happens when you don't listen?" Yukari yelled.

"I, I—" He clenched his fists. "I was doin' just fine!"

"Excuse me?" She retorted.

"We have to stay together." Ezi said. "Come on—"

The train pushed them to the right a bit as it started moving forward.

"What's going on?" Junpei panicked.

Mitsuru announced:

"The train has been turned on by a large Shadow in the front cart of the train! You have to stop it at all costs before it crashes."

"C-crashes?"

"Yes, before it crashes into another train on the monorail. You have about 3 minutes, and you're almost there, hurry!"

The group didn't hesitate and they scrambled to the front of the train, fighting only two or three Shadows on the way; one of them was a giant beetle stomping around one of the carts with a purple mask on. Yukari's Lo lifted it up with the nose of the calf statue, and rolled it onto its back, and Ezi staked it with her Naginata in its belly.

"Gross!" Yukari shrieked, then they reached the conductor cart.

There was a large woman, half black and half white, lanky, and her paper hair flapped in thick threads away from her masked head. She had a white dress on that barely covered between her legs, her knees were up and spread out, and she bobbed her shoulders left and right sensually.

"What the hell…?" Junpei was flabbergasted.

"I've never seen a Shadow like this before…" Mitsuru admitted.

"Who cares how it looks, let's finish it off!" Ezi declared. This odd, sexual giant of a Shadow was irritating her more than it was scaring her. It giggled and wiggled its knees together, and brushed its cheeks with its shoulders from time to time like it was flirting.

Yukari shot her bow, but one of its hairs whacked the arrow back.

"Persona!" Junpei released his, and it shot fiery arrows at the shadow, pinning the hairs back.

Ezi released her Persona, Orpheus, and it bashed in the Shadows head, but it barely injured its face.

"Junpei, watch my six for any small Shadows!" Ezi exclaimed.

"R-right! You got it!"

"What are you gonna do?" Yukari asked. "We don't have time to beat this thing to death!"

A new power—something to stop the brakes, and the Shadow—

She pointed the gun to her head, and a small creature appeared—the room began to freeze up—

Jack Frost was a tiny white ball with blue clothes and a jester's hat. He smiled widely with its black dot eyes as he sent a cold snowy wind attack that brought icicles onto the Shadow's body. As it was frozen, Yukari shattered it with her arrow.

She moaned out when she was defeated, becoming black ash in the metal of the train.

"Alright!" Yukari cheered. "Let's get this stopped!"

They all ran up to the control system, and the other train was only about a fourth of a mile away.

"H-hit the brakes!" Junpei was looking for something, anything- a button, perhaps.

Ezi's hands were sweating, and she looked at the long lever at his feet. "Leave it to me!" She pushed back the control on the stick, then yanked the stick back. Yukari screamed as the brakes of the train did as well. It began to slow down, but it seemed to be not fast enough—

The train slowed completely to a halt, a centimeter away from the bullet train in front of them.

….They were breathing, they were huffing and puffing, but most importantly, they were still alive.

Junpei and Yukari began jumping up and down and creating a 'whoop-whoop' sound.

"How did you know that was the break, Ezi?" Yukari asked.

She put her hands on her hips and raised her head.

"Woman's intuition."

"I don't think that's the kind of thing for… Oh, never mind. We made it! My knees are shaking!"

"Dude… I am drenched in sweat! Y-you okay, Ezi-chan?"

"Heh, that was breeze… totally awesome! I'm glad we're okay."

"Seriously? Yeesh, you're a real tomboy…"

"I'm glad you're all safe." Mitsuru came on the buds. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you on this, but you all did a great job. I don't detect anymore Shadows."

"That's a relief, I'm a bit tired…" Ezi admitted. "And hungry!"

"Me too!" Junpei declared. They hopped off the train with a cuts and bruises, and excited bliss from their night's victory. Her team had won a difficult battle, and the level of trust between them all had grown, if only for a little… they had managed to defeat the Priestess Shadow together, but they still had a very long way to go.

As the team walked back, Mitsuru contacted the Akihiko and Ikutsuki back at the Command Room in the dorm.

"This is Mitsuru. We have successfully completed the operation. The monorail did not sustain any noticeable damages."

"Thank you, Mitsuru." Ikutsuki-san replied. "That's one headline I'm glad I won't have to read tomorrow."

"But, what are the Shadows up to? Taking over a monorail? This is getting out of hand."

"I'll be looking into the matter." Ikutsuki assured them.

"Does this mean… **it's begun**?" Mitsuru sounded worried.

"Hm, let's not jump to conclusions just yet. You all are doing very well…. By the way, Akihiko, you wouldn't happen to have something to drink?"

"Don't tell me you rode that tiny bike outside all the way here!"

"I'm gonna be sore tomorrow…"

TO BE CONTINUED in Block 2!

I also despise Ikutsuki... for obvious reasons XD Well hope you enjoyed it! Please R&R!

 _Farewell, My Dearest~_


	7. Block 2: Date 6: Shinji and Aki

A/N: THIS IS A LONG CHAPTER~But its a good one! I know I said I would break them up, but I don't have time usually and I just want to post them! Anyway thanks for the reviews so far... and demonboy789 sent me a private message but I could not respond, so to answer your question, yes. This is mainly going to be focused on the romances, but I did want to go through the entire story as well.I will be more major events of my own when the love starts flying through the air, putting a spin on our beloved P3P tale!

Anyway, enjoy this episode of:

~Persona 3 Portable~

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 **Block II: Anxiety of Everything in Between**

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Date 6: Shinjiro and Akihiko

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Ezi recalled the boy from her dreams who warned her of an "ordeal"…It seems the prediction had come true. She wondered what this meant, the next morning as she lay in bed, thankful it was a Sunday. Surely, she wasn't the only one who had been tired from the adrenaline and physical exhaustion from the previous night, when they had defeated the large Shadow and saved the monorail from crashing.

Her phone rang, and it was an unknown caller. Usually, she would ignore these sort of calls, and she did…. But the unknown caller rang 4 more times.

"Hello!?" She just wanted to sleep in.

"Good morning, Miss Leon. This is Theodore."

"….Who?"

"My apologies. This is Theo, from the Velvet Room."

"Oh snap! Hi!" She shot up from her bed. "Wait, how did you even get my number?"

"…I sense a great power deep within Tartarus. It seems the path that was blocked is now open. Please, be careful."

"Oh, you mean the barrier has been broken? How? When we defeated that big Shadow?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that. Anyway, I would also like to show you something in the Velvet Room that will help you on your journey. You may use the door in your world to get here, if you like."

"Thanks… mind if I add you as a contact on my phone?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand…"

"….Never mind. Thanks, Theo. I'll head over there soon."

"Alright. Have a nice day." He ended the call. First she was fighting Shadows, now she was going to visit two impossible beings that dwelled in a room that nobody else could see. She wondered if she was getting sick, because she didn't seem to be feeling well.

She dressed in a long sleeve top with red pants and a red scarf. It was still chilly out, despite it being May already. She groaned with certain tiredness as she crept dramatically down the stairs, seeing the others lounging around the, well, the lounge.

"Good morning. Did you get enough sleep?" Mitsuru asked.

"I don't know, I could have slept in more, but I have to go to the mall."

"You slept in longer than the rest of us! You had better be more energized!" Junpei chided. She squinted her baggy eyes at him as she considered his behavior the previous night, running off and breaking rank. Could she really just shrug it off? Nobody had truly been hurt, so maybe they didn't need the conflict. Still…

"I think we should check that barrier soon, maybe its broken finally."

"What makes you think that, Leon-san?"

 _A man from another possible dimension told me…_ She thought.

 _"_ Just a hunch."

After drinking some warm macha green tea in the kitchen, she headed to the Paulownia mall, making her way to the Velvet Room in the back hall beside the restrooms.

Igor, the old, pointed nosed man in his suit, was sitting as usual in his chair, and Theo was standing next to him in his blue bell hop suit.

"Good morning! Ah, I see you have used your Personas quite a bit lately."

"Theo, you can tell?"

"Precisely so. Anyway, I am sure you are quite busy. Well, that is, I had a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?"

"If you don't mind, would you please accept my requests?"

"Requests?"

"Yes. I will have a list and collection of them in the door to the right you see there. Some missions will be special and require you to escort me around, and you will not have to complete all of them. Of course, there will be a suitable reward upon completion of the request."

"Rewards?"

"Money, weapons—accessories you can use on your journey that will come quite in handy."

"Wow… really? But, why ask me to do these requests for you? Can you not go into the world on yourself?"

"I… have always wondered about your world. I have visited it before, but in a much different time. Also, I wish to see…"

He seemed flustered. "Yeah?"

"I wish to see your strengths with my own eyes."

"Oh, well, I don't use my Persona powers in the day, but I'm sure I could complete some of your requests, Theo! As long as these requests aren't weird or anything." She chuckled. "You're not gonna have me do weird dares or anything like that, right?"

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, confused.

"Like Truth or Dare? It's a game with—you know what, never mind. I'll complete as many requests as I can."

"Well, then, I will anxiously await your assistance in these matters. Is there anything I can assist you with today?"

"Well, I could fuse Personas. I've never done it before!"

Upon selecting her Pixie and Apsaras, she watched Igor fuse them above their heads in front of the clock. A bright light fused them, and they became a new Persona, Nekomata, a fiery, slender cat woman with long white hair and furry clothes. Ezi decided she would use this Persona upon their next trip to Tartarus. After this, she decided to look at Theo's list before leaving.

"…You want to visit the Mall?" The requests were scrolled on a sheet in the purple room, that held empty gasses on either side of the empty room. There other assignments scrolled on the paper, such finding a golden hand in the Thebel Block of Tartarus, and locating handheld game systems for Theo to observe.

"Yes, as one of my requests, of course! You will be highly rewarded."

"Well, you don't have to get me anything too special, I mean, we could just go outside the door right now and we could hangout for a while…I've got some time today."

He smiled, "Alright, then! Thank you. Please, lead the way."

"Okay… We'll be back, Igor."

The old man said nothing to this, as she and Theo left the Velvet Room.

"So this is the Paulownia Mall… it's much smaller than I would have expected." Theo slid his gloved hand across the bathroom doors.

"Well, this is the hallway… we're not really there yet." Then, they stepped out into the central clearing of the mall.

"So this is the Paulownia Mall…" He repeated, more confidently, "Indeed, it's exactly as I imagined." Despite these words, Theo's eyes were clearly glimmering with excitement.

"…Are you excited?"

He scoffed. "Pshaw… I'm not that easily amused…. Uh, what's that over there?" He pointed and walked quickly to the center fountain. "An aqueous duct in a place like this?"

"A what-?"

"The dwellers of this world must get thirsty easily."

"How'd you figure that out?"

"Heh, I know a few things myself about the human world!" He said, proudly.

"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think that's what its for."

Theo seemed startled. "I-I know its true purpose, of course! Why, it's meant to wash one's hands!"

She snickered. "Try again."

He seemed to whimper in the calamity of his embarrassment, making her giggle.

"It was only a small joke!" He knew he wasn't helping himself.

"Sorry dude, I don't mean to laugh. You don't need to be worried, though."

"I see… So… Wh-what is it actually for?"

"Its mainly just for display, something for people to look at. But, I guess some people put wishes in here too. See? They drop coins in there to make a wish."

"Just, a bit of scenery?" He seemed distraught. He took out a purse pouch from his pocket, and dumped the coins in.

"WHOA STOP!" She yelled. "You're gonna lose all of your money! That's way too much! Just one coin, that's it! One." She took one from her own bag and dropped it in.

"Oh, okay…" He looked around the mall some more. "And what pray tell, is this facility here?"

Ezi showed him the police station, where he thought they hunted and killed the most wanted criminals on the posters. Then, they passed the Club Escapade, which was very excited about.

"It's closed?" He cried out. "Well… I suppose I must press on."

Ezi had seen him defeated enough this trip. "Let's go to the arcade! It's way more fun anyway, I'm sure."

"Ar…cade? A series of arches?"

"Sure!"

"A-All right, let's investigate."

They went to the store called Game Panic, in the corner east side of the mall near the entrance. Inside they played classic games like Pacman, Galaga, Pocketmen and so on. He was a little frustrated with the controls, but he seemed to enjoy the crane game outside the store the most, pondering if it was a simulation for capturing real crane birds and animals.

They went to the smaller corner fountain on the south west side of the mall. Theo looked around with a sly grin, then stuck his ungloved hand in the water.

"It's 8 degrees Celsius."

"You can tell?"

"Of course I can." He seemed proud.

"Convert it to Fahrenheit."

"Uh… should we be on our way? I would hate to have you out late today."

"Oh yeah, thanks. Did you like it?"

"This world has many charms." He said, entranced. "I… would relish the chance to see them again sometime."

"Sure! I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

Ezi returned to the Velvet Room with Theo.

He bowed with his hand on his heart. "Thank you for fulfilling my request. Oh! And this is your reward…" He handed her a pink envelope, already opened, and Ezi could see it was packed with yen.

"Whoa! T-that's too much, I can't accept this—"

"Before you deny it, please consider that you are far too busy to be acquiring money at your own time. You are far too busy working with your Personas."

She swiped the envelope. "Good point. Thanks, Theo."

"My pleasure."

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"Wazzup? Just another ordinary day again, going to school…"

"I guess." Ezi thought he was trying too hard to be casual. Maybe he was just as aware of how bad he had messed up the night of the big Shadow.

"I've never had that kind of thrill in my life! Have you?"

"Maybe."

"No way, you're bragging too much."

The day was normal as they settled back into school, but the sweat and chaos at the monorail lingered in her mind. In student council and basketball practice that day, she decided to space out.

The girls were being lazy during practice.

"It's not like we're that good anyway." One of the girls was arguing with Rio.

"But, if we keep working hard we will get better!"

"Okay, but not even the coach is interested in coming today. You don't need to keep pushing us so hard."

After a few more decisions, the girls decided to cut practice early and left, despite Rio's pleads.

Ezi was shooting hoops when she watched them leave, and she could see Rio was upset.

"Are they always like that?"

"It gets this way sometimes. They think I push them too far."

"Well, good. Maybe you should be, so they don't slack off and think they can do what they want. I guess its tough having a leader role…" She thought of Junpei again, and her own position in SEES.

"I understand if you want to go to?"

She smiled. "Spot me for push-ups?"

"Oh… yeah, thank you, Ezi."

The girls finished up practice, and Ezi decided things would need to be stepped up a notch.

The next day Mitsuru decided they would try out Tartarus again. Afterschool, Yukari and Junpei were arguing about something, and Junpei seemed to be in a hurry.

"Where are you going?" Ezi intruded.

"Akihiko sent me on an important mission…" Junpei began.

"He's dropping something off for sempai at his appointment." Yukari put her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, that."

"It sounds important! Maybe we should see how he's doing. What do you think, Ezi?"

"Um, yeah! I agree."

"You guys can tag along. Let's go!"

They got to Akihiko's room at the Iwatodai Memorial Hospital, but Akihiko was not there. In fact, somebody else was looming over the empty bed in his room.

"Uhhh- h-hi," Junpei stammered. "I-Is Akihiko here?"

"Does it look like he is?" The gruff boy replied. He was rather tall, with dirty brown hair that coiled behind his back, pouring out from the beanie on his head. He had on a dark magenta coat that was buttoned up, and his eyes were squinted and grey, examining the three that had disturbed him.

Akihiko appeared behind them from the hallway. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh, h-hey, Akihiko," Junpei turned to him, slightly still compelled, "I-I brought the thing you needed."

"Thanks, Junpei, but what are all of you doing here?'

"We came with Junpei, 'figured we'd visit you." Ezi mumbled.

"Well, it's just a check-up, I'm alright." Akihiko shrugged. "But since you're all here, I'll tell you that the docs giving me just a few more days, then I can join you guys in Tartarus."

"That's great, Akihiko-sempai!" Yukari congratulated first.

"Yeah, t-that's very cool, Akihiko." Ezi was distracted by the stranger. His intense look was still scrutinizing her.

"Oh." Akihiko must have noticed the awkward tension. "This guy knows a thing or two about the Shadows lurking on the streets, so I asked him to come see me about it. Was there anything else or-?"

"No, that's it. I'm outta here." The boy replied. With his hands in his pockets, he began to venture out of the room. Ezi's eyes were glued to him, as if she had never seen anyone like him before. It wasn't just his appearance; his spirit felt dark to her too. Powerful.

"You…" He kept on looking at her, as if he had recognized her from somewhere.

"…Never mind." He brushed by them and was gone in a flash.

"Such interesting friends you have, sempai…" Yukari said sarcastically.

Ezi watched the doorway, like he would be coming back to look at her more.

"…Yeah, interesting…" She agreed.

"His name's Shinjiro, I've been trying to get him to join SEES for a while too, but it's difficult."

"Him? Join SEES?" Junpei clarified. "Fine by me, he'll probably scare them all away just with that scowl of his."

"I'll catch up with you guys later tonight. Maybe we can see more of Tartarus now."

Yukari had to go run some errands, and it left Junpei set in the place he didn't want to be.

Alone, with Ezi.

"I guess I owe you dinner." He mumbled. "Let's head to the strip mall."

They were quiet for a while as they walked down the strip, a route above the outskirts, to reach the mall. Ezi could see the mysterious Shinjiro guy walking behind a warehouse, his hands were in his pocket. She watched him pace around as long as she could, until they passed the station, which blocked her view.

"I'll order you whatever you want! Just so won't be mad at me anymore."

"I'm not mad… I-I don't know."

Junpei chuckled. "Sure you are. I mean, I know I didn't listen, but I had to go! No telling how much time we had!"

"Wait, you still think what you did was okay?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, someone had to take action-"

It was like fight or flight. Ezi had her arm braced against his chest, and his back against a wall—

"You left two girls by themselves, Junpei! You said you wanted to lead, but you just abandoned us! And now, you can't even accept that you messed up, or very well apologize for it! How can I work with somebody like that?"

"I-I get it okay?" She pushed away form him, and bounced up from the wall. "You think I don't know? But I… I just…"

"Just what?"

He grunted. "I'm sorry. I know I messed up, I do. I just wanted to be the hero. I was being stupid."

She frowned. "You're my friend, Junpei. I don't want the fact that I'm the leader to be an issue, but..."

"But?"

"But I am the leader. You disobeyed orders, and yes, I'm not happy about it."

"I can tell…" He fixed the cap on his head.

"I'm awkward about this sort of thing… I don't want to act like a bitch, Junpei, but you needed to know you messed up. I was really mad…"

"You're right." He curled his fists. "If you get mad, just tell me. Leaders gotta do the good and the bad work, right?"

There was something unpleasant happening in front of the Bookworms store, and it disrupted their conversation

He was also looking at it, a man standing to the side of the store….Actually, staggering would be a better description…

"That dude is totally drunk! And the sun is still out dammit…" Junpei gritted his teeth, like a tempered dog.

"Let's avoid him." Ezi decided.

"Good idea. I don't want to get involved if he walks in front of a car or something. It's his own damn fault." He grimaced.

"That's a bit cold." She looked to see the man banging on the Bookworms window, slurring and yelling as if he were desperate. Bunkichi ran out with a little broom as his defense weapon, and whacked the man gently with it like he were a stray.

"Wha'chu lookin' at, old man?" The drunk stood up as straight as he could, but he could barely grab the broom from Bunkichi.

"Leave him alone!" Ezi dashed over to the scene, Junpei not far behind. Before she could do anything. Junpei's aggression sprung out first.

"What the hell are you doing? Get outta here!" He grabbed the broom between them and yanked the drunk man off, and he scuffled back. The drunk man chuckled.

"What are yeah lookin' at?" The man said again, and he tripped over the sidewalk to scramble away.

Junpei looked disgusted. Ezi probably had never seen him filled with such energy of animosity before.

"Junpei… let's just go." She said quietly.

"…Yeah, you're probably right."

"Thank you, Ezi-chan! You and your friend are welcome to a free book anytime!"

"Thank you Bunkichi-san." She nodded to the old man. "It was nice seeing you again.

Junpei seemed silent with rage. They walked up to the Hagakure Ramen shop upstairs, and Ezi ordered the special for them. He seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Uh, sorry. I don't like seeing drunks like that." He laughed dejectedly.

"Yeah, they're kind of annoying."

"You… You don't have any parents, right?"

"Uh, no." It was the first time he had asked something personal.

"I know that I'm gonna sound like an ass, but I have to envy you. There have to be some parents that their kids are better off without."

Maybe. She tried to not to take it personally. "…Like your parents?"

He shrugged his shoulders. The ramen they had ordered arrived, but it tasted oilier than usual with the atmosphere.

"My dad drinks. He'd just sit there and drink, all by himself. And every time, he'd get violent over the most stupidest stuff…. But it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Damn Junpei…"

"Sorry! 'Must be boring you… let's talk about something fun!"

She smiled. "Not boring, but I'm glad I know you better. I'm sorry I got so mad."

"Eh, I was being too prideful of myself. I guess I still have something to prove…"

"I think we all do. I came here searching for something, but I ended up becoming immersed in this life, like I need to fulfill it."

"Yeah?"

"I'm in this, all the way. I still have many questions, but I think if we keep working together in SEES, we'll find the truths we both want… if you'll have me."

"You got it, leader!"

They bumped fists and finished their ramen before the noodles could get soggy.

"Her name is Fuuka Yamagishi, she's in class 2E, and she has the potential."

"No way!" Junpei gasped. "Another girl! Sweet!"

Akihiko met with the others before the Dark Hour in the command room, speaking of some important news about someone else who could join SEES.

"I haven't had a chance to speak with her yet. If she joins, we could use her help, and Misturu could join us on our missions inside Tartarus."

"Us? Y-you're still injured, sempai…" Yukari mentioned.

"After this week, I'll be able to join you guys."

Ezi's eyes widened. "Oh, good…" Maybe she had let being the leader for so long get to her head- oh well. Akihiko was probably going to be in charge when he returned.

"This is good news." Mitsuru announced. "Akihiko and I will investigate Yamagishi further to see if she can join us." She folded her arms. "On another note… there are exams coming up. You guys better be studying."

"I second that," Ezi proclaimed, "it's been really busy balancing school and Tartarus, but we can't look suspicious in our daily lives…. That was just a cool way of me saying, I don't want anyone kicked out of school, okay?"

"Too late." Junpei muttered.

"What?"

"I'm jerking your chain… but, can we at least go to Tartarus tonight?"

"I know you all planned on going tonight, but I have some things to take care of tonight. I'm afraid we will have to try tomorrow."

Junpei groaned.

"Maybe you can just study tonight, Stupei." Yukari teased.

"Yeah right. I'd rather jump off a cliff…"

Ezi chuckled. "Don't be so morbid! We can try for another. After that, though, hit the books!"

The morning bell rang the next day, and students were hustling to class at the front gate.

Ezi spun around because she could hear intense panting approach her. Akihiko, sweating in his school uniform and red vest, had been jogging.

"Hey." He huffed.

"…Running Late?" She replied, hesitantly. It had been a while since she had spoken to Akihiko at school, she'd realized.

"No… I'm just getting my stamina up. I'll be joining you guys in a few days, after all."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"By the way," He couldn't seem to catch his breath, still panting, "If you need to talk to me about anything, I'm usually not doing anything on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, since I don't have boxing after school."

"Oh," This was abrupt. He was probably referring to how he would in charge when he returned.

"Okay, that sounds—"

"Was that the five-minute bell?"

…The bell had already rung a long time ago. "No—"

"Well, later, Ezi." He jogged up the stairs passed her into the school building.

….That was weird. Ezi shook it off and headed for class, all the while, she couldn't help but notice some of the girls whispering about her. Something about Akihiko and how it wasn't fair. Whatever.

After school, Ezi visited Bebe for a short moment in the Fashion Club. He had made her a knit rabbit the week before, and his bubbly personality was more than enough joy for any reason.

" _Magnifique_! You are getting much better at sewing, Ezi-sama."

"Thanks, Bebe! Hey, how's your studying been going?"

"Alright… but, I love my passion fah fashion so much! I try to do as much 'ere as I can! Also, I have luck on ma side!"

"How so?"

"I have been going to the shrine to pray for good fortune! Ze Naganaki Shrine!"

"I've never actually been there…"

"It iz so pretty! Come, we must go today."

"But-!"

"Today!"

Bebe dragged her to the Shrine, north of the island. It was a simple monorail ride away, and Bebe blabbed the whole time. The shrine was on a long concrete stairway up, but on its property was a jungle gym where children played and some benches; the shrine itself was long, clean, and there was a tokayaki stand perched to the left of it.

"It is pretty! You were right."

"Ah! I know!" He said happily. "Sometimes I even study here…"

As he spoke on, behind the bars of the playground, Ezi caught a glimpse of dark magenta- it was indeed the boy who had been in Akihiko's room—Shinjiro.

She didn't think about it, she scooted closer to get a better view of him—to see why he was leaving in such a hurry. Her head trailed him, seeing he was only walking fast with his hands in his pocket. Granted, his dark side appearance was appealing, but that couldn't have been the only reason she was concerned with him.

"Ezi-sama? Are you okay?"

"Y…Yeah! Sorry."

"Well, I only wanted you to see it here! I should be going now. Maybe we can study 'ere together sometime!"

She was distracted. "Yeah! T-that sounds peachy…"

"Alright! Farewell!" Bebe danced down the steps and was gone.

She thought about following him—Shinjiro—if only to ask him what his connection was with Tartarus. She wasn't well enough with Akihiko yet to ask him about it.

One girl seemed to be licking her red lollipop and staring at Ezi.

"That your boyfriend?"

"What? No—Bebe? The guy that just left? What concern is it of yours anyway, little girl?"

"No, I mean the boy you keep drooling over!"

"Wha-No! No, of course not!" She watched with disapproval as Shinjiro seemed to vanish, going off the trail and downhill behind a tree, leaving the shrine area.

"I can tell you about him if you want. He always comes by here." The girl said.

"Really? Well, what do you know?"

The girl had her light brown hair pulled up, and she was wearing a jersey jacket and skirt with a back-pack on. She grinned evilly.

"I'm hungry!"

"Okay?"

"Buy me a Tokayaki and I'll tell you what I know."

"You drive a hard bargain, kid." Ezi decided to get her one since they were only 400 yen, and she got one for herself too, since the flavoring smelled so good, near the small stand selling it currently next to the shrine.

"Yummy! Thank you so much!" The cheery little girl ate up the food.

"Now, tell me what you know…"

"Oh, that would be nothing!" She said, giggling.

"What! You little-! Do your parents know you're out here, scheming on poor, defenseless high school students?"

"You're in high school? I thought you were much older!"

"Why you-!"

She giggled. "You're funny! I'm sorry I tricked you, I was really hungry!"

"Yeah, you mentioned that before…"

"I do actually know something about that man. Promise me you'll come back here to play with me, and I'll tell you everything I know, which is actually something!"

"Really?" She squinted her eyes. "You better pinky promise me, little girl! Or you'll be cursed for 1000 years if you tell me another lie!"

She giggled some more. "I promise, I promise!" They tied their fingers together.

"Okay then, you got a deal. Speak!"

"I'm not a doggie!" She chided. "Anyway, I've seen him with some other weird guys here before. The monks thought they were so strange, they told them all to go away from the shrine! And, he coughs, a lot!"

"Shady people, eh? Why is Akihiko friends with somebody like him, I wonder?"

"Anyway, my name is Maiko Oohashi! And you are?"

"Ezi. Nice to meet you, little Maiko. Okay, for this information, I will come back sometime to play with you here."

"Thank you!"

It was strange, but Maiko seemed like an interesting child. As Ezi left, she watched the girl climb up the monkey bars and hang upside down for a moment, looking like a **Hanged Man**.

The barrier on the pathway became unobstructed. Ezi had bought a sharper rapier for Junpei, and more arrows for Yukari at the station that afternoon, and now they were ready to march to the second block of Tartarus:

The Arqa.

"Wow…" They observed the new floor for a moment, adjusting their eyes to the bright violet carpet, adorned with vectors. The walls were aligned with a black, spiraling boarder, covering most of the purple walls, and all the while, there was the color of blood leaking from some spots on the ceiling down the wall.

"Stay sharp! There are definitely stronger Shadows on this floor… I sense a powerful one a few floors up. Stay together as you explore and stay on your guard. I need more time to scan it… you may proceed for now…"

Following Mitsuru's orders, the three charged down the new corridors.

The first enemies they saw were Frivolous Maya—puddles with orange, taller masks that glistened, and they were just as simple as the previous mayas, and the three were able to roll and dodge and attack them with their own weapons. They even saw the Balanced Heats from the night of the train—Yukari used garu to cast them back. One of them managed to whack their balance down on Junpei, but he slid away and attacked.

From the next hall came a Wild Beast—a black lion with a round weight strung to its neck. Its sprang from the corner and ran for them.

"Nice kitty!" Junpei wailed. The three of them ran like cartoon characters until Ezi found her grit, around when there was enough space to summon Angel, her Persona with blonde hair, black strips for coverage, and white wings. It used a light to blind the lion, and Ezi slashed it down with her weapon.

"That was close…" Yukari admitted.

"That felt weird, taking down a whole lion…"

"Don't forget! They're just Shadows." Mitsuru explained.

They continued up the rest of the floors in the same manner, filled with extreme caution and energy, fighting more lions, tackling and getting bruised down the hall against mayas and lanterns with capes, Soul Dancers with no heads that danced slashed with a thin sword, and the whimsical new pink hand that glistened of deadly diamonds.

Ezi used Forneus, Angel and Orpheus. They were becoming quite exhausted by the time they reached the floor with the stronger Shadows, so they used the green portal to return to ground zero and finish for the night.

…And the next day, she was thinking about Laughing Tables and Beastly Wheels when Hidetoshi of the Disciplinary committee in Student Council bashed his fist on the table… probably for dramatic effect, but it nobody was buying it during the club meeting.

"We will see that the cigarette users are caught! Any more questions?" He eyed the room intently.

"Yeah… can we go now?" The girl with buns said it low enough so she could not be identified in the crowd, and others giggled.

"Good work today everyone! See you next time!" He said gladly.

Ezi still had time to go to practice, and she noticed yellow tape on the persimmon tree when she stalked by it, news that she would have to tell Bunkichi and Mitsuko about later on. After that, she would have to study.

That's all anyone seemed to be complaining about in the halls, with exams coming up… all of the clubs were closed now, except Bebe had wanted to do some more sewing in the Fashion Club, and to ease herself from all the studying she would have to be doing over the weekend, she decided to attend it with him.

After that, it was crunch time. There wasn't a night or a day that went by without the daily routine regulating some assistance in studying for their upcoming tests. Junpei cried nightly in his room, Yukari was MIA from any social gathering, Mitsuru was studying and prepping her Persona in the command room, and Akihiko was probably doing the same.

The last Sunday before the tests, Ezi went to the old couple in the bookstore to get one more source, but Mitsuko was having a panic attack.

"Tree-!" She said.

"Hon, calm down, what is it this time?" Bunkichi rubbed her shoulders, and she began to breathe normally.

"They are going to cut down the persimmon tree! The one our boy loved so much! It's gonna be chopped down to make some building in the school!"

"Calm down, it'll be okay." Ezi added. "I'm sure we could do a petition or something to keep the tree!"

"See? I knew this kid was meant to be here!"

"I saw the yellow tape and I wanted to tell you, but I've been so busy… I'm sorry."

"You're here now! And I think we'll write a letter out too! And we can make the petition! Ezi-chan, you think you could put the petition up on boards at your school?"

"I don't see why not!"

"See? It'll be okay…"

Ezi watched Mitsuko be comforted by her goofy husband, and there was delight for a moment, then she rented the book she needed and went to the dorm to study.

She had received plenty of sleep, and the next day, she went on the early train to school. It was nice, reviewing her notes one final time with her calm music in her red headphones, before anyone was barely on campus. It was like being in a different world.

"BEGIN."

Her first test was in English, having to translate words from Spanish and French from their 20th century literature vocabulary. Each test took a quarter of the day, and the rest of the time, Ezi studied in the library for the subject for the next day. She had not been so anti-social her entire time there up to this point. Granted, she focused in class, skimmed the homework readings, and studied before she went to bed almost every night, and that probably helped at this time.

The next day was math, and Junpei was making the small yelping noises she could hear in the back of the classroom every time an extensive calculation had to be done. Math must have been her favorite subject—the critical thinking and deduction and effort that had to be acquired, the sound of the blade and her body swaying through the air into a Shadow-

Focus! The next day was science. There was the geological questions she had to remember like the speed of the earth, and how fast a rolling lion wheel would go before she could summon her Persona—

Even with mild distractions buzzing in her brain cells, she could see the answers clearly and narrow down the best choices. The second to last day was history—some things about the Naga period she had gone over multiple times in her notes and readings.

The last day of testing, Saturday, she ate peanut butter toast with a sour apple and fresh honey green tea—a meal she had concocted from the small ingredients in their kitchen. Akihiko approached her in front of the school before the bell rang, a routine he didn't seem to mind once and a while.

"Hey, how's it going?" He asked coolly.

"I think I'm doing okay on my tests. You?"

"Definitely. And, if the doctors gives me an okay today, I'll be able to fight with you guys again… finally."

"Oh! Y-you're going today?" She was more nervous about this than the tests.

"Yeah. By the way, I have a favor to ask. You've been doing a good job leading the team in Tartarus."

"Oh, thanks."

"Would you mind continuing after I come back?"

For some reason, the anxiety did not wane. "Sorry?"

"That way, I can concentrate on building my strength."

"Well, yeah. Leave it to me!"

"Heh, good. I already talked to Mitsuru and she was fine with it. Good Luck."

"On the test, or on leading?"

He snickered. "Both. Oh, if you wanna grab food sometime, I'm bored after school on Mondays and Fridays when I don't have Boxing practice."

"You mentioned that before…"

"Did I? Sorry, forgot. Wasn't that the warning bell?"

"What? I didn't hear a bell-"

"Well, see you." He dashed ahead again, like the whirlwind his presence seemed to be every time they spoke.

With the adrenaline from the morning, her pen wouldn't stop moving! Writing essays and filling in bubbles was a breeze, and suddenly, the long awaited exams were over.

There was a bright relief when the afternoon sun shone through the halls of Gekkoukan, except before she could leave, feeling free, she could see Hidetoshi intercepting her up ahead—

"Emergency Student Council meeting—" He said under a hushed tone, "—Hurry to the room! It won't take long."

She wanted to punch his face.

Mitsuru had business to attend with her father's company, but no one knew why Hidetoshi hadn't shown up yet, considering he called the meeting.

"He's probably off being captain DICK—" Ezi heard the guy with the girl in buns mutter. She ignored them, and continued to help Chihiro with the treasury count, since they were there.

After a few more minutes, tension seemed to build as the others were complaining, and some even bailed. It was at this moment while she was in her thoughts that she could hear yelling in the hallway, and a crowd was surrounding all of the noise.

"You can trust me," it was Hidetoshi's voice, "you can admit it. Don't you want your conscious clean?"

"You uptight prick!" The other boy snapped. "I already told you, I didn't do it!"

"But you were found with cigarettes on the streets of the station." Hidetoshi remarked. "Please admit your faults, so we can put this to rest."

Even though he was turned away from her, Ezi could tell he had that smug smirk on his face by the confidence in his voice.

"You son of bitch, get off my tail!" The boy had his fist ready on his side. Oh no! Ezi thought, and tried to push through the crowd to intervene, but Hidetoshi had been punched in the cheek before she could reach them. He fell backwards, almost knocking into her.

"Jerk! Don't ever bother me ever again, or I'll kick your ass for sure!" The boy turned and marched away through the crowd behind him, some of the students clapping and cheering for him. The meeting was clearly over.

"Ezi-san," Hidetoshi rubbed his cheek, and Ezi helped him up.

"Don't you think you're over doing it?" She asked him.

"You have to fight for the truth and what's right, even if it's not the most popular opinion." He stated.

"I get what you mean, but still…" The crowd began to clear out.

"Ezi-san, it is important to find out the truth, don't you agree? Please, don't worry about it anymore." The truth. That's why she was there, not to be popular and do well in school… what had been doing this whole time? Why was it so important for her to be…

"I do agree, but, you pushed someone over the edge, and got nothing from it but a bruised face! You should be worried."

His smug grin returned. "Are you worried? Don't be, I intend to let myself be beat up by those who can't control themselves until they burst out the truth to me."

"Well, maybe you should try getting the truth out another way."

"How would you suggest that?"

"Maybe actually being nice to them? You don't have to get people angry, that'll just make them hate you and want to hurt you even more. Of course, being nice and considerate is a route that takes more time, but at least, they will trust you."

He didn't speak for a while. They had finally reached the nurses office for an ice pack.

"I suppose I could attempt that approach." He said at last. "Well, you better head home before it gets late, Ezi-san."

"Okay, get better, Hidetoshi-sempai." She turned from him and raised her arm up as a goodbye when she headed for the exit.

She sighed, exhaustingly. What a mess he was making, instead of cleaning one up.

That night, Akihiko repeated the news to everyone in the lounge.

"Sempai, I hear you're fully healed!" Yukari congratulated first.

"I need to catch up on my training. I've slacked off for a whole month."

"Shouldn't you take it easy, though? You don't want to reinjure your arm."

"I've wasted enough time as it is. Besides, I have more news on our Persona-user."

"The girl, right?" Junpei said delightedly.

"Fuuka Yamagishi is a junior. Have you guys met her yet?"

Yukari snapped her fingers together. "Oh, I thought the name was familiar! That girl in 2-E. She gets sick a lot, so we don't see her at school very often." Yukari explained.

"She was at the same hospital as me, that's how we found out about her…. But, maybe she's not cut out for battle. I even had an evoker made for her, too."

"We can't give up on her already! I was gonna offer her some private training lessons." Junpei said.

"You're like an old perv." Ezi analyzed.

Yukari cackled. "Oh man! I'm always thinking the same thing!"

"Yow! Retract those claws, ladies! I'm a totally hip-happenin' teen! Yah dig?"

"Loser." Yukari scoffed.

"I'm a guy, whaddya expect?"

"A-anyway, it's a disappointment Fuuka won't be joining us, but don't worry. I'll be back in no time. That's all I wanted to let you guys know."

They definitely needed the extra help in Tartarus, but Ezi secretly wanted another girl on the team too, if only to deflate Junpei's ego a bit more.

"Sempai, wanna try for tonight? Show the ladies what you can do?" Junpei continued talking.

"What are you talking about, Junpei?" Akihiko sort of sounded offended.

"Yah know… Tartarus! We're done with exams, I don't see why we don't give it a try now? Eh?"

"Iori-san," Mitsuru entered the room, "We just finished exams, let's go tomorrow."

"Fine!"

"No, we should go." Akihiko insisted. "I've been waiting for this!"

"Okay, Akihiko," Ezi smiled, "show us your stuff tonight!"

"Are we really doing this?" Yukari carped.

That night, they did _this_ , and went to Tartarus. They stretched and seemed to warm up more than usual, each taking a turn to watch how Akihiko prepared—he wore his usual school attire, as they did, with thin brown boxing gloves over his wrapped hands.

"Lead the way, leader." He said. The crew felt more complete with a set of four, and they marched into to Tartarus, ready to fight.

The first thing they heard was a loud rumbling approach them from down the hall. A giant beetle passed the corner to their vision.

"I got this!" Junpei summoned Hermes, and it tried kicking into the beetle's shell with an inhuman impact, but the shell was too hard.

Ezi stood forward, and summoned Angel, a persona with garu, and tried to use the wind to kick the beetle's belly upward, but it was too heavy. It charged at her and she had to twirl herself and whack the beetle's side with her naginata, to avoid being sprained by its horn.

"Damn!" The beetle made a screeching sound as it climbed halfway up the wall to turn around and head towards the group.

"My turn!" Akihiko pointed the evoker to his head, a wild smirk on his face. "Polydueces!"

In front of Akihiko appeared his floating Persona: a man with a rounded torso and plated metal vest, and thin, muscular sky blue limbs. It had long golden hair, a plastic white face, and on one hand was a needle like weapon that it raised in the air. It summoned lightning, and it zapped the bug so hard it zapped it belly side up.

"L-let's attack it now!" Yukari declared. The group hounded onto the helpless Shadow, and was squashed and defeated by their multiple strikes.

"Ick, gross!" Yukari wiped the bug guts off of the tip of her bow. "Thanks, Akihiko-sempai."

"Cool! Lightning!"

"Junpei, look out!" Yukari cried. There were a bird like Persona with a black wings that soared down and picked him up form behind. She used her arrow to aim, but hesitated.

"What if I hit Junpei?"

The bird began to fly down the corridor, and everyone followed after them.

"Hang on, we're coming!" Akihiko yelled. The Venus Eagle took Junpei to a wider space, where three large Laughing Tables were waiting for them.

"It's a trap, get back!" Ezi yelled.

"But, Junpei-!"

"Hold on! Those tables in there are gonna throw some intense weapons at us! Be ready to dodge their attacks, but summon your Persona now!"

"Oh, right!" Akihiko and Yukari did just that, and the three charged into the room than. The tables were large, and they had red checkered cloth on them that their blue masks hanged on, and they had fire, mallets, knives, and such floating above their beings, which they began to toss at the incoming humans.

Lo used garu and blew one of them back into a scrambling of the items until it combusted. Polydeuces blocked Akihiko with its heavy chest from the oncoming objects, and then it dived in on the table with its needle hand, breaking into the wood. Ezi's persona, Apsaras, used bufu ice to drain out the fire on the last one, and Ezi slide and ducked to dodge the objects until she could cut through it herself.

Yukari was already focusing on the bird again, and Junpei was trying to whack at it upward with his sword.

"Wait, you could hit Junpei!" Akihiko yelled.

"I know, but it's too high!"

Ezi looked at the purple wall behind the bird, and took a deep breath her previous battle. She keep feel the rush of the wind cool her sweat as she sprinted to it, using the black, diagonal boarder to run up the wall. She had to go faster, and she did, making a few steps up the wall, as if she were running on regular ground, until she curled down and sprang off of it towards the bird. With a loud yell from the strain, she whipped her naginata into the bird, and it died, dropping Junpei. He dropped onto his side, and Ezi rolled onto the ground, until she was subsided. Her naginata fell to the ground when the bird vanished.

"You guys okay?" Akihiko ran to Junpei first, who was holding his arm.

"Yeah, just hard landing." He grunted.

"Did you break anything? Ezi!" Yukari came to her aid, and Ezi laid there for a moment, looking at the ceiling. "Say something!"

"Ow." She sat up. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah it was!" Junpei _whooped_.

"Are you okay to keep going?"

"I need some water, then yeah. Let's go."

They ventured on, with more confidence. The next floor had smaller Shadows, from mayas to grieving tiaras. The Shadows encircled them at one point, and they all ventured out to battle one on their own.

Junpei slashed, Ezi twirled and stabbed, Yukari shot, and Akihiko punched. Another Tiara swooped down towards Yukari form behind, but Akihiko slid in and punched it was an upper cut, dizzying it, then punched it so hard, it flung into the wall and was defeated.

"Thank you, sempai." She said.

"No problem, let's keep going!"

"Yeah man, but I'm kind of tired." Junpei admitted.

"Me too." Yukari said.

"Aw, come on, you guys can't be tired already, we have so many more floors to go!" Akihiko whined.

"That's true, but I think exams tired us out more than we anticipated." Ezi nodded. "Majority rules tonight. Sorry."

"Fair enough." He smiled. "Still, this has been great. I'm glad I'm doing this again, and with you all."

"Sempai, it's been a bit easier with your help!" Junpei said.

"There's a portal west from here," Mitsuru informed, "use it to head back. You all did very well tonight."

It felt more natural than Ezi had expected it to—Akihiko joining them. Nothing should have been a problem, accept that she was thinking about when she run up the wall… she had seen three people standing on the ground below her, not two. It must have been the spur of a moment—the trick of the mind.

Some pink hand dancers appeared, and the team performed one more All-Out Attack before reaching the portal. Thus ending their first night with Akihiko.

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: hehehe I liked this chapter! If only because there was more Akihiko and Shinjiro in it ^_^ I liked most of the interactions after the first moon too when Aki joins. Anyway I know some things changed, like them knowing Shinjiro's name already, but like I said its to add to the story. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it! R&R you lovely readers you!

 _Farewell, my dearest~_


	8. Date 7: Ghost Stories and Streets Gangs

**A'N: I dont know if its a good thing or a bad thing Im updating so quickly. Anyway, here is the next one~**

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~Persona 3 Portable~

 **Date 7: Ghost Stories and Street Gangs**

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"Junpei must be so distraught." Yukari giggled.

"What do you mean?" Ezi griped her books to her chest like a regular schoolgirl as they reached Gekkoukan.

"You know, the exam scores are posted today!"

They went to the board in the entrance hall, and the crowd of students seemed to part when they went up to look at them. Finding her school number… she found it…

"Wow," she grinned, "I scored the highest in 2-F."

"Shut up! I hate you!" Yukari slapped her arm. "I'm fifth! How did you beat me? I studied way more than you!"

"I did it on purpose to piss you off."

"Well, you know Mitsuru will give you something for doing so well."

"Really? That's nice of her."

"Well, she can afford it."

Some of the students whispered and she got a confidence boost the rest of the day. She went to the Fashion club after school.

Bebe was being too quiet, though. He had been sewing on the lab table across from her in the economics lab, but he was far from enthusiastic.

"Bebe, what's bothering you?"

"Ah! Ezi-zan…" His eyes were cast down. "I am afraid, my zear auntie 'as been taken by ze angels!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Bebe! We don't have to do fashion club today, if you're not up to it—"

"No, I must stay buzy!" He insisted. "Bezides, I am 'appy when I get to make cute zings 'ere with you."

"Aw, Bebe," Her face uncontrollably curled into a grin. "You're so cute! I'm so sorry for what is happening with you and your family."

"It will be okay, I know it." He nodded to himself. "But, ma uncle iz not 'ow ma aunt was. He sinks Japan is a waste of time! He is going to stop paying for my study abroad, and I will 'ave to return to France."

"What? B-but, that's not fair! There must be something we can do…"

"It iz alright, Ezi-zan, do not worry about me."

"I must! You're my friend, Bebe, I don't want you to leave if you're not ready to."

He hesitated, then smiled. "You are right! I should not give up! I love Japan, and I do not want to leave! I will 'ave to convince my uncle to let me stay! But, how!"

"Maybe if he saw what you were learning here… I know! Why don't you make him something from here!"

"Good idea, Ezi! But what shall I make?"

"We could try that hard pink kimono made from silk and cotton, the one you saw in the magazine you were crazy about?"

"That will be very hard… but it will be beautiful! You are right! I shall make zis for my uncle!"

"I'll help you in anyway I can, when we have the fashion club meetings."

"Yis! This will impress my uncle so he will 'ave to let me stay! Zank you Ezi, sank you!"

For the rest of the club meeting, Bebe and Ezi worked out the plans and cost of materials to make this official kimono. After they finished up, it was time to head home. She was bubbling with delight from her scores when she pranced down the stairs… suddenly she was thinking of Tartarus and the 3rd black figure from the previous night, and everything seemed to slow down, but she still bumped into someone.

"Ezi-san, hey."

Oh. Akihiko was standing by the gates.

"Yooo." Her response.

"Are you heading back to the dorm?"

"Yeah, want to come along?"

"Let's stop somewhere to eat, first."

True, she was hungry. And their mission yester night had been quite profitable, finding 8000 yen they had split between all of them from Tartarus.

"Yes! I'm hungry, what did you have in—mind..?"

There was a group of girls. They had somehow managed to appear in Ezi's sights once again, glaring at her. One of them was the girl with buns in her hair she had seen before in student council.

"The Hagakure shop at the Iwatodai Mall. D-does that sound okay with you?"

"Sure." She turned to him and smiled.

"Come on."

Ezi followed him, and turned to look at the girls who were still glaring at her. They exchanged glances for a long moment, a stare down. Ezi lost, because she stuck her tongue at them and scurried after Akihiko. While she personally was not interested in competing for him, it was fun to see the vein girls' hearts be crushed.

It was sort of awkward walking to the shop, but they got there on basic conversation about their day.

"We'll have two extra large specials." He ordered for them. She tried not to think about how they were eating alone together.

"Ah! I was hoping to get some appetizers, too? But, if that's too much—"

He seemed happy. "Eat as much as you want. My treat."

"Oh no, I couldn't-"

"Really, I owe you."

"I-I haven't done much…"

"Don't be so modest. You took on a lead roll for our team, I appreciate it."

"Ah, thank you…H-how was your first night back? How are you feeling?"

"Good, better than I thought. But I want to do more still."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. Some days I can't focus on class because I can't stop thinking about it…"

"You know, your skills are truly remarkable…"

"Oh, thank-"

"But they won't be of any use if you get exhausted easily."

Akihiko seemed to be worried, in his own way.

…In any case, she decided to eat the extra large ramen brought to her table.

Ezi slurped it down. "Good choice, sempai. This ramen is banging!"

"Amazing, you completely polished it off."

She had somehow managed to eat it all, a feat she was always capable of doing, but her stomach was groaning. No way. Had lack of food in the lounge turned her into a glutton? Wait—stomach pains…

"Hey, would you want to go to another food place after this?"

"Y-yeah, sure why not? But why would you want to go to another restaurant?"

Akihiko frowned. "What's with that? If you're full, you shouldn't be trying to appease me, just say so."

"Huh?"

"You don't have to try to impress me with your appetite, I already know you're a good fighter, so don't do things you don't want to just to show how friendly you can be." He sighed inwardly.

She scowled, pouting her lip and furrowing her brow. He was treating her like a child.

"What? Why are you glaring at me like that?" He chided. "I'm not Junpei, you know. I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl."

"I would certainly hope you wouldn't go easy on me because of that!" She retorted, but maybe she really had only said yes to please him.

"Mitsuru was the one who recommended you to be our leader, but I thought you'd be best in that position, too."

She sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's not a problem. Just do your best and do a good job like you have been, okay? Our lives are on the line too, after all."

"I know… It's not that its too much pressure or anything, I actually like it! Maybe I just wanted to seem like I'm always reliable."

"You are, you've proven it time and time again. But of course, we'll do our best to back you up, as well. You're not the only one who's going to be trying hard out there."

Ezi could sense some care from Akihiko—like she could understand him a little more now. He was just as invested in this as everyone else on the team. It wasn't about being the best. Even though she had assumed he only cared to be brighter and stronger, like a bright **Star** \- but in his own kind way, he was.

"Thanks, Akihiko-sempai."

"Well, since we're done, we should head back."

"Okay, but just so you know, sempai—" They got up from their seats. "—I could have eaten a whole, 'nother, extra bowl."

"Uh-huh, sure." He snickered.

"It's true!"

"You just have a small stomach, that's all. Makes sense."

"Whatever… I could have chugged five more extra bowls."

"Let's jog back to shake off some of the food."

"And cramp up? Good call, sempai!"

"…Oh, you're being sarcastic?"

"…Yes." She giggled. "You can jog, I'm just gonna cheer you on…"  
The two "jogged" back, cheering each other on. Rather, it more of a fast walk, and they returned to the dorm together.

.

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Another day, bright and beautiful;

and then Junpei appeared.

"Duuude, 'sup? How'd you do on your exams?"

"Better than I thought." She grinned. "Dare I even ask how you did?"

"I'm a laughingstock… These cute girls were whispering about me, and not in a cool way, either… oh well, at least hopefully we will have another girl on our team! I should be more excited!"

"Didn't Akihiko say she may not be available? Like she was always sick or something?"

"Yeah, but, I still have to have hope! Have you seen her? She looks kinda weak but it just makes me want to protect her."

"What a hero…"

The days seemed to be lagging, except Ezi was wondering about Fuuka… why she hadn't seen her in school, what abilities she possessed, and the connections to Tartarus.

She hadn't seen the striped-pajama boy in a long time, and when they went on missions in Tartarus, there hadn't been any dire enemies to face up against, despite how high they went up. It seemed harder to focus in class after the exams, and wondered if she had spent all her energy up in a matter of a month and a half. She also considered how being in charge meant protecting everyone... she couldn't slack off. She knew Death and she wouldn't be responsible for someone else's life in its grip.

"Did you hear about those girls that collapsed?" Some of the students at the front gate were gossiping again.

"Yeah, some girls did! It must have been the ghost!"

Ghost? Ezi thought. Considering there such things as Shadows, ghosts were a possibility as well.

"Hey," She was walking with Yukari and Mitsuru back to the school, "you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, just spacing out. What were saying, Mitsuru?"

"Sorry to call you, I know you've been busy, but I noticed a rise in the Apathy cases, haven't you?"

"Oh, no, I haven't been paying attention."

"Can you imagine?" Yukari boasted. "Without our Persona powers, there would be way more people walking around like zombies!"

"Yes, there is indeed more to this than what we are able to grasp, which is why we need to keep our focus on getting to the top of Tartarus."

"Agreed."

Afterschool, Ezi went to the library committee and helped Saori stack and sort books. After that, Ezi walked passed the Persimmon tree to wait for Yukari so they could walk home together.

"I'm a little tired, I did not feel like practicing today." Yukari admitted. "Especially since we are supposed to go to Tartarus tonight."

"I know what you mean, but try to have fun! The looser you get in training, the more fluent you'll be in your fighting."

"Easy for you to say to 'have fun' with it. You're playing basketball! How does that even count as training?" She teased.

Their eyes turned to three girls laughing horribly under the tree. One of them had an unnatural tan, and the other two were listening to her gossip.

The tanned brunette girl seemed to be telling the story. "She freaked out when she thought the picture I took was real! What a poor little loser! It was priceless!"

"Oh my god that's so funny!" one of the girls commented.

"Yeah, it was hilarious. I can't believe how naive she is. Oh well, she thinks we're friends, so it's really easy to trick her!"

"It's hard to believe that girls like that actually exist." Ezi whispered to Yukari. "I've been noticing them more often in the hallways."

"They are talking about bullying someone? Honestly, don't they have anything better to do?"

"'Guess their lives are just too boring, they have to excite themselves by hurting other people." Ezi shrugged. "Come on. Let's get to our sports; they're laughing is giving me a headache."

As Ezi and Yukari left, the girls continued to gossip.

"That Fuuka is so gullible, I swear." The tanned one continued. "Well, I'm gonna go get cigs at the outskirts. Wanna come?"

One of the girls started to hear a strange voice, so they cut their conversation short and ran off, almost as if she were starting to go completely insane.

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There was gossip in the classroom about a girl collapsing in class 2-E, and Ezi immediately thought of Fuuka. This poor girl must be really sick all the time.

"So, did you hear the details?" Junpei asked her.

"What happened?"

"Well, a girl from 2-E went missing last night. This morning they found her lying on the ground in front of the school gate. Supposedly she's still unconscious."

"Morning." Yukari intruded.

"Yo, Yuka-tan! This looks like a tough case… even for, Junpei Iori: Ace Detective!"

"Ace Detective? Are you stupid or something? Get a clue."

"Hey, I resent that! Anyway, where have you been?"

"I was talking to the teacher. That girl they found, was the one Ezi and I saw yesterday after practice."

"What? The brown haired girl?"

"No, her friend. She seemed okay then, gossiping about bullying someone."

"Whoa! Now that's really strange!"

"Not only that, but there's been ghost stories going around lately too. Honestly, can't people be more mature? Even so…"

"What's up?"

"Well, you're the leader, so I'm just going to say it, but I don't think we should go to Tartarus tonight."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I don't think Mitsuru can go anyway, and I have a bad feeling."

"Well, that's okay then. I trust you. I've been kind of tired lately anyway, maybe we should all try to rest."

"Lame." Junpei scoffed. "What'd be the point of that?"

"What if another big Shadow shows up outside of Tartarus, like before?" Yukari warned.

Ezi felt enlightened. Ikutsuki-san had definitely said the last time he visited that Yukari some sort of sixth sense obtained from outside her Persona abilities. She had noticed in Tartarus that Yukari was actually very capable of knowing when and when not to use her Persona for certain enemies, even before Mitsuru could sense them.

It had been a week, and with all the regular club happenings, like making a kimono with Bebe, playing with Maiko at the shrine, and playing in practice with just poor Rio, the ghost story seemed to be the most significant thing.

Junpei spoke desperately about it to Ezi and Yukari one day after the three of them returned from school to the lounge in their dorm.

"Hey! Remember that girl that passed out? Apparently that ghost story is tied to it!"

"Yeah right. I can believe a lot of things, but there's got to be more to it than just ghosts." Ezi clarified. Considering her decision to come to the island in the first place, still, nothing could be seen as a coincidence.

"Well, listen! There's this rumor that that it was an angry spirit from that ghost story,"

"H-Hey! Come on! Nobody believes that stuff, right?" Yukari asked timidly.

Mitsuru seemed to appear like the fancy red presence she was.

"So, what is this ghost story about?"

"I-It's probably made up, so don't even bother!" Yukari replied uncertainly.

Akihiko showed up to.

"I'm interested. Go ahead and tell us."

Ezi and Yukari were both confused as to the appearance of the seniors, and Junpei was adding on affect. Uncertain of where it came from, he pulled out a flashlight to wave under his face.

"Good evening," He spoke creepily, "Welcome to Junpei's Believe it or Don't."

"Are you serious?" Yukari asked, seriously, and Akihiko and Mitsuru shushed her so they could hear his wisdom.

"…There are many strange things in this world!" Junpei continued, without fault. "According to one story, if you get caught at school late at night, you'll be devoured by a maniacal ghost that roams the halls!"

"That sounds like Tartarus!" Ezi exclaimed, and the two seniors shushed a junior yet again.

"A friend of mine… let's call him, Shu… he said to me, Junpei, _I saw something strange_! I asked him what he'd seen. He claims he saw a girl from 2-E go into the school on the night of the incident. I couldn't believe it. She's not the kind of girl to be out at night. But Shu insisted it was true! Then, it hit me…"

"What? For the love of god, just tell us!" Ezi cried.

"That ghost must've made that girl its dinner! And that's why they found that girl lying by the gate! I felt a chill, and I broke in a cold sweat! Believe it… or don't!" He turned the flashlight off.

"…What do you think, Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked, seriously.

"I think it's worth investigating." He responded with a nod.

"Hey, I didn't know you were scared of ghost stories, Yuka-tan."

Ezi had thought Junpei was being obnoxious, even if there was truth to his tale. However, Yukari was still trying to recover.

"W-Whatever! I'll prove to you it's a fake story! Let's each take the week to prove this ghost story is just an urban legend!"

"I appreciate that. The story is unnerving." Mitsuru admitted.

"Cool, I'll let you guys handle it." Akihiko added. "Just make sure you guys sleep with one eye open, though."

"What?" Yukari stammered.

"Wow, sempai's got jokes." Ezi snickered.

After that, it was official: Ezi decided there had to be a connection to this ghost story, the Shadows, and possibly Fuuka since she was in class 2-E as well. The boy that appeared in her room that night, confirmed the possible theory that that was plausible.

She was dreaming about knitting and strange boys when the Mysterious boy appeared at the foot of her bed again.

"Good evening… I came to see you again as promised. How are you?"

Still so tired. "Lemme sleep…" She groaned and covered her head with her comforter. "You can't just wake people up in the middle of the night when you feel like it!"

"That isn't very nice," He looked to the side, "show a little courtesy…"

Sleep. She scowled at him. "Thanks for waking me up… What you want?"

"In another week, the moon will be full again. And the next ordeal will be upon you, so be careful."

"Ordeal?" She widened her eyes a bit. "Another shadow?"

"I'll come again." The boy disappeared.

"For all I know, you're the ghost everyone is talking about…" Maybe it had all been a dream, so she went to sleep.

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The days seemed to become increasingly longer as Ezi was secretly hoping to find some answers about this supposed ghost. One night, they went to Tartarus, fighting a giant white statue that seemed tangible, but their physical attacks were no use. Ezi had to summon Succubus, a tight purple suit- devil woman, to use a dark magic to curse the statue and deplete it.

…Then, they reached a block on one of the floors, a seal like the one from before, and they could go up any further. It reminded SEES of the happening before, and maybe there was a new presence that needed to be defeated before they could continue.

The ghost stories and this barrier could not have been a coincidence. She told Akihiko this when they went to school together one day.

Mr. Ekoda, the short and stubby, yelling teacher, was trying too hard to relate to the students for some reason. Ms. Kanou's class was more dull than usual, and Mr. Edigagwa's class, like usual, was all 'blah-blah-blah', like the adults in that cartoon with the bald kid and his white dog….

"Ezi-san!" A girl she had seen before in her class was speaking to her. "I'd probably freak if I saw a ghost like the one we've been hearing about. But, I bet Akihiko-sempai wouldn't even flinch!"

…She left the girl to her fantasies and met Bebe. At the club that day she actually made a felt bag, a suitable gift for somebody with loose change. They went to a healthy restaurant at the strip mall, and Bebe talked about cute boys he adored on campus, as well as his attempt to save up to buy the materials to make a kimono. Unfortunately, he had no news of any ghost.

The same went for Rio, Saori, or anybody from Student Council. Junpei told her to rely on Yukari, and at this point, it was the only thing that she could rely on, especially when the week ended. They met in the lounge when it was dark out, after everyone had returned to the dorm.

"Okay! Let's review what we've collected on our analysis of this ghost story." Yukari commenced the meeting amongst the three of them.

"Wow, you're really into this." Junpei noticed.

"Of course, I got lots of good info."

"I did not… thanks, Yukari."

"Right! It turns out no angry ghost was involved. First off, let' talk about how this rumor got started: Since the girl was found on the grounds, there's at least one similarity to the ghost story. But, why did the rumor spread so fast, if this was the first time happening?"

"Oh, it wasn't the first time this has happened!" Ezi realized.

"Correct! Over the next few days, there were two more similar incidents. All three of them had to be hospitalized, so no wonder everyone was talking about it."

"This is different from the Apathy cases, since the victims were normal until they collapsed, right?"

"Exactly! Next, the victims are in different classes, and they don't seem to be connected. But, they have one thing in common. What was it?"

"What is this, a quiz show?" Junpei snapped. "Do you know?" He looked to Ezi.

She rubbed her chin and thought about the girls they had seen the other day. "They hung out together!"

"That's right! Not just once or twice, either. They got in with a bad crowd and were always out late. So, to find out what happened, we're gonna do some field research!"

"Field research? Are you kidding?" Junpei sounded startled.

"What is it?" Ezi could see something unraveling.

"There was one place the three victims were regulars…"

"Wait, you're serious? You're not talking about that sketchy place behind the Port Island Station, are you?"

"Oh, you know about it?"

"Yukari, you can't go there! I've heard some nasty rumors about that place!"

"Then we should all go together." She insisted. "Ezi, you'll come, right?"

"It can't be that bad, Junpei. Besides, if we're together I'm sure we won't get into any trouble."

"Forget it! That place is bad news! Aren't we getting in over our heads?"

"All we've done is take orders up until now! Does that feel right to you?"

"From the seniors, you mean?" Ezi felt stiff. She had also been giving them orders in Tartarus—maybe she should agree to this.

"I guess you're right," Junpei continued, "but why'd you have to say it like that? I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

Yukari decided they would meet and go there tomorrow night, a decision she was uncertain of, but at least they could figure out what was going on.

Even so, Ezi felt a grip in her stomach the whole next day, from math class, to practice—to meeting them in the dorm immediately afterwards.

"Let's go!" Yukari cheered.

"I still think this is a bad idea…" Junpei said, sternly, "I mean, bringing two girls there is like wandering into the lions den with steaks strapped around my face. How could you be afraid of ghosts, but not be scared of THIS?"

"It's easy to get freaked out by things you can't see, don't you think?"

The third figure in Tartarus.

"Actually, I'm more worried about things I can see… like bats, and knives, and maybe even guns!"

"Big deal. So it's a little dangerous over there. Come on, it'll be an adventure!"

Yukari was marching proudly towards the northern crooks and corners of the alleyway, with Junpei and Ezi behind her. The sun was setting, but it was still eerily dark and damp in this underground setting that smelled of cigarette smoke and echoed unappealing music.

"Yukari—" Ezi caught up to her, and they were greeted by a gang of four boys and two women in scantily-clad dresses.

"Well, well, lookie what we got here, some student mice lost their way." The woman had a tough voice.

"Hey you, I think you're in the wrong place!" One of the men said. "Beat it, goatee!"

"Goatee?" Junpei stammered. "Oh, y-you mean me!"

"Actually, we're here on purpose." Yukari answered. "And we don't need your permission to be here!"

Junpei pulled Yukari back a bit by her shoulder so he could whisper desperately to her. "Hey, are you nuts, look around you!"

"I'm not blind you know." She said, loudly. "Come on, don't be intimidated by these scum!"

"What was that?" The guy snarled.

"She just called us scum!" The tough chick reiterated. "How bout we post some pictures that'll make her daddy cry? She'll wish she was never born!" The other girls giggled.

"These guys are the worst." Yukari said, disgustingly.

"Yukari-" Ezi reached for her but Yukari moved her arm away. _Yes, Yukari, antagonize the gangsters, by all means!_ Ezi knew she was probably going to have to fight.

"I'd watch that pretty little mouth of yours!" The guy said. "Man I feel sorry for you, goatee. This bitch is a pain in the ass-!"

It was abrupt, but Junpei seemed to push the guy over rather quickly, and he made a skid noise when he hit the pavement.

"Whoa!" Ezi yelled. They were out numbered, and things were getting out of hand now.

"Junpei!" Yukari exclaimed.

"You fucker!" One of the other guys ran up to him and punched Junpei in the gut.

"Dammit," Ezi prepared for a physical fight, "leave him alone! You punks asked for it!"

The other two guys sprang at them, but then a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"That's enough."

As he approached, Ezi recognized him immediately: the Shinjiro guy in the long maroon coat.

"They didn't know what they were getting into. I'll make sure they leave. Alright?"

The guy on the ground stood up. "Who do you think you are, dumbass? You want some too?"

The punk's fist was easily dodged, and Shinjiro head-butted the punk, knocking him backwards.

"Shit!" He cursed as he fell again, scrambling back up. "You just crossed the line, you think you're going home alive?"

"Wanna give it a try?"

"Uh…" The punk stammered. "Screw this!"

The tough chicks laughed at him for backing down. "What a loser!"

The punk's friend tightened his fist. "Damn you, Shinjiro! That's right… you're from Gekkou High too, aren't you?"

The punk wiped his nose. "You better grow eyes in the back of your head, all of you!"

The punks ran away, and the girls walked off laughing.

"T-that was close! Sempai, that was awesome!" Junpei said with relief.

"I remember you. You clowns were in Aki's room at the hospital. You idiots—Get outta here. This place isn't for you." With his hands in his pockets, he turned to leave. "Seriously, go."

"Wait!" Yukari yelled out. "We came here for a reason."

He turned back to them. "Did Aki tell you to come?"

"No." Ezi answered. "We came for questions about those girls that come here from our school, the ones that collapsed and started that ghost story."

"Hmph. There's a rumor going on about them. Those girls in the hospital were here talkin' shit every night about all the things they'd done to some girl named Fuuka."

"No way! You mean Fuuka Yamigishi from 2-E? They were picking on her?" Junpei and the others were starting to see a pattern, now.

"That's why people are saying its Fuuka's spirit that did this to them."

"Fuuka's spirit?" Yukari repeated. "What do you mean by that? She's been missing from school, but we thought it was because she always got sick!"

"You guys don't know? This Fuuka girl might be dead. She hasn't been home in over a week."

"What? I thought she was just out sick?" Junpei exclaimed.

"So much for the ghost story." Yukari shrugged. "But, Mr. Ekoda is the homeroom teacher for 2-E. Does he even know about this?"

Shinjiro mumbled. "I get it, Aki, still trying to make up for the past. It's you who can't let go."

"Come again?" Junpei asked.

Ezi scrutinized Shinjiro. He was mesmerized in his own thoughts for a moment, looking down with a cold stare.

"…Nothing. That's all I know, satisfied?"

"Yeah, thank you very much." Ezi nodded to him.

"I didn't do nothing."

"Yeah, you did! You even gave us a hint, and you helped us with those thugs." Yukari smiled. "You're very kind."

"Huh?" He seemed perplexed, like he'd never received gratitude before.

"I, um… never mind."

"Don't come here again. I won't be able to save you clowns the next time you decide to fight a whole gang."

"Yes, thank you, but we did have things handled—"

"What do you mean? He totally saved our asses!" Junpei interrupted Ezi.

She kept her mouth shut. Apparently, they weren't aware of her abnormal skills, and that she was about to pound all of those jerks. She did make a mental note however that he did save them, and he willingly gave them the info they needed, despite his dark and harsh demeanor.

"Get going. I don't want to see you here again." The young man named Shinjiro left, and now Ezi knew he was actually a student like them, even though she had never seen him at school.

Yukari's plan did lead them to some vital information. The Persona user Fuuka had been missing, and the girls who had fainted bullied her. Despite this info, Mitsuru gave them all a harsh scolding when they returned to the dormitory for going to the outskirts, and they didn't go to Tartarus that night as punishment.

TO BE CONTINUED


	9. Date 8: Bye-bye Bebe and Hello Fuuka

A/N: Let's get right to it!~

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~Persona 3 Portable~

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Date 8: Bye-Bye-Bebe and Hello Fuuka

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"I messed up again. I'm really sorry, sempai." She couldn't have said it enough times.

"Honestly, I'm just glad you guys are okay, and Mitsuru is looking into it now. Please, don't apologize anymore!"

"Okay…" Ezi pouted her lip. "I wish there was more I could do, but right now I have to go the shrine."

"What for?"

"History class. I had to pick a historical place and interview someone for a project. I figured I could talk to the monk in charge there about the Naganaki shrine's history."

"Oh…" He stammered. "What a coincidence!"

"What?"

"I was going to do some jogging. We could jog to the shrine together, maybe even do some workout on the bars, after you get your notes, that is."

She hadn't minded company since she had been there, yet, this time she hesitated.

"I mean, I wouldn't want to slow you down…"

"Don't be silly. We can do a light jog there, it doesn't have to be intense workout."

"Well, okay." She smiled. "L-let me get my books and I'll jog with my bag."

Crap.

She was, nervous? Maybe the idea of running was not pleasant… she felt she had to be doing something else when she ran, like dribbling a ball or fighting Shadows. No… there was something else, too. Something about the fact they would be training alone together. It was an odd sensation.

They jogged alongside one another towards the shrine, both still in their school uniforms. It had taken longer than Ezi thought it would to get there, and she was completely out of it when they reached it, though she tried not to act like it. She put her hands behind her head and stretched her body upward.

"That…was…"

"Great!" Akihiko said, out of breath as well. It calmed her nerves to see him in as bad of shape as she was in. "Let's do some sit ups on the asphalt."

"Um, I'll wait a bit to catch my breath," Ezi caved in.

"Come on, we run more than that in Tartarus!"

"I don't think we do… besides, your body adjusted to different forms of working out, Akihiko."

"Hm, what do you mean?"

"Well, if all you did was boxing training, for example, you would hardly be a runner, and since I play basketball, my body is more adjusted to stop and go running, not this constant pace we just took."

"Hm, I never thought of that," he admitted. "All I can ever think about is just getting stronger."

"Well its good you're in shape in more than one way, sempai."

"Thanks."

"I'm gonna go head up to the shrine and see if I can schedule a time to talk with the monk."

When she got there, she was greeted by a young monk at the front of the shrine, who informed her the head monk was the only one allowed to access shrine scrolls and files, but he was never there. He was usually drinking at Club Escapade… apparently, he was retiring soon. Still, it was a crude place for a monk, and he was her only link to getting her history report done the right way.

"I guess I'll have to find him later." She rejoined Akihiko, who was finishing his sit-ups. There seemed to be no one else at the shrine, and it was quiet.

"The wind is actually starting to pick up, and that's a blessing after working up a good sweat. It feels nice."

"Yeah. It's a change from the basketball gym indoors. I definitely feel more air in my lungs."

"I usually train at the boxing club or alone in my room at the dorm."

"Well, we can train like this more often if you want."

"It'd be nice to have a running partner." He admitted. "But if you do become my partner, we'll do more exercise than just running, got it?" He laughed.

"That's fine with me…"

"In any case, I should have changed into my workout gear. I thought this would be just a light run for fun."

"I thought you said you planned on jogging here, though?"

"Uh—anyway! I'm drenched in sweat! I'm sorry, you must feel it too in your uniform."

"Oh, what do I care? We get to workout!"

"I guess not… it's just, Mitsuru always puts on makeup and nice clothes, so I don't ask her to workout because she doesn't want to ruin her appearance… she's so busy."

"Most girls are like that. But hey, don't catch a cold!"

"This is nothing, I'll be fine…ACHOO!"

She looked at him, smirking.

"…I said I'll be fine!"

"Now now, don't put up a tough front to impress me, sempai… we've talked about this. Take your own advice!"

He seemed embarrassed, but he chuckled. "…Hey, want to try that before we head back?" He pointed to the horizontal bar.

"Ah, you're trying to reinjure yourself." She teased.

"Come on! You can't do a back hip circle, can you?"

"Psh, yes I can!"

"Whoa, that's amazing!"

"Of course, my current stamina is causing me to have inflictions on attempting such an amazing feat at this time."

He laughed. "You'll have to show me sometime! Uh, when you're not wearing a skirt, that is."

She smiled. "You're like the exact opposite of Junpei."

"I try to be." They both chuckled. "But, he's still pretty cool." He walked and stood by the bar, and she followed him lightly. Can you at least come up to the bar right here?" They both stood beside it, and he climbed up first. "…Here." He helped pull her up by the hands to the seat on the bar. She took a moment to balance herself, and sat on it beside him.

"I haven't been on monkey bars since I was a little kid." She chuckled. "I'd climb them, and pretend I was on some mission or something, doing impossible things…"

"Yeah. This takes me back." He seemed to smile, but it faded as he looked off into the distance. "…I need to get stronger. If I don't get stronger, I won't be able to save anything…"

Ezi pondered. "I know the feeling. Being helpless isn't something I ever want… But, we're here for you too." She thought about the other day. "Was Shinjiro your friend as a kid?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Well, you both lead different lives, but I think you're both kind. He helped us yesterday, and you're always looking out for us juniors! I mean, why else would you two be friends?"

"It's a little complicated…" He muttered to himself. "Anyway, we should head back."

"Yeah! This bar is hurting my butt anyway!" They slid down.

"You were sweating today too. Make sure you take a hot bath today so you don't catch a cold."

 _Wanna join me?_ She caught her witty ways thinking this, and she blushed. _No! Just friends, Ezi… you don't have time to fool around with some boy; a nice boy…_

"Let's just walk back, since I know you're tired."

"Hey, it's never tired. We're always willing to do everything, just can't do everything at particular moments."

"You don't have to be weird about it," He stammered. "Come on, let's head back to the dorm."

That night, she decided she would work on her project, still. She had more balls now after going to the outskirts with the others, so going to Club Escapade at the mall couldn't have been so bad in comparison. It was Saturday night, so the Club was packed—

Her heart raced when she entered; blue and purple lights flashed over the bobbing heads and arms of the drunken people of all types that swayed on the floor. Surely, the monk wasn't here on such a busy night. Yet, up the stairs to the left, where the tables and lounge resided for drinkers, she saw him—an old, bald, large monk in his robes, smoking a cigar, in the corner at a round table, alone.

She passed other loud tables to stand in front of the monk. The music was quieter there.

"Excuse me-?"

"Wha-?" He reeked of alcohol, "What yah want?"

"Um, I was hoping to talk to you about the shrine-"

"What? No! After my beer!" He shouted. "Bring me another beer!"

She didn't like being yelled at. "Then, will you talk to me?"

"Cross mah heart." He slurred.

The bartender made a fuss about her appearing too young to be there, but she offered to get drink orders so he could get a larger tip, and he agreed to getting the old monk a beer if she did. This was becoming a tedious effort for some stupid history assignment.

When the beer was in the monk's hand, they finally spoke.

"I'm impressed yah got me this drink… yur not even old enough to be in 'ere! What these employees thinkin'?"

"I guess they're just trying to make a buck."

"Siddown."

She sat in the chair across from him. "So sir, what I wanted to ask was…"

"Why do yah need to be here? Don't waste yur youth, kid, you'll be legal before yah know it!"

"Well, I'm not, but I guess I know what you mean."

"I guess that sounds funny coming from a cigar smellin', old, beer drinking monk, eh?"

"Uh, the beer must taste good, is all."

"Some say it does. I just drink it to get drunk. 'Makes me feel good."

"Surely there are other things that can make you feel better."

"You seem like an optimistic kid! You shouldn't have so much hope for the future."

"That's… bad advice…"

"Well, 'cuz then you won't be disappointed when things get bad."

"I hope they don't get bad… I know some 'ordeal' might be coming soon, so I don't want things to go bad there."

"Yur not like the other punks that run around here, trying to be adults, not like my son… always getting questioned by the police."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that…" Maybe he was too drunk to talk seriously about a shrine.

"I'm gonna remember yur face, so I can have you kicked out the next time you show up!"

"Next time? And what for?"

"You don't need to be in this place, talking to me."

"But, that's why I came here! I needed information!"

"I ain't got it! Not right now, anyway… Like I wanna talk about my 'job'…" He sighed. "Beat it, kid."

"I want information!"

"Later…" he seemed to snort, rubbing his eyes. "Another time, but you don't need to come back here anymore. Got it?"

"Then, can I interview you at the shrine?"

"Nah, I never go there."

"Well then, where the hell am I supposed to-?" She was getting sleepy, and frustrated. "You know what? Never mind! Fine! I'll try again another time when you're a little more sober!"

The monk mumbled something as she stormed away. Instead of building her up, he spoke negatively for a religious man. Instead of being a pillar or **Tower** of morality, truly, his spirit had crumpled throughout the years.

.

.

.

.

.

The last Sunday before the 'ordeal', Ezi met with Bebe at their healthy restaurant, the Wakatsu. He seemed to be in high spirits, excited to start sewing his new kimono.

"Do you want to try to work on it after lunch?" She asked him.

"I cannot! I must wait until we are at ze club, since I 'ave no machine at 'ome!"

"That sucks."

"Indeed! I must be patient! Eagles don't catch flies, after all!"

"You are so funny." She chuckled. "I don't get what that means, but okay."

He seemed vexed.

"Other than the kimono to impress your uncle, what else are you up to?"

He sighed. "Nozing much. What about you?" He smiled. "'Ave you found a boy you like yet?"

Akihiko did pop into her head- maybe because he was a popular at school, and because they were friends now.

"Oh Bebe… I told you, I'm too busy for that."

"Come on, Ezi-sama! _Kawaii-desu_! You are too cute to be single! I will 'alp you find someone, if I can."

"You're so sweet, thank you, dear. And, I will help you with the kimono, just not tomorrow after school, okay?"

"Why? What iz wrong?"

"Nothing! But, I have a feeling I'll be busy with something important…"

.

.

The next morning, she recalled the information Shinjiro had given them. She would go talk to the teacher at school that morning in his office about the girl, Fuuka Yamigishi, that had been missing.

She went with Yukari to the staff lounge, and there were already two other students there with Mr. Ekoda—the rest of the room was bare.

"Mitsuru-sempai?" Yukari said. "What are you doing here?"

"The same thing you are." She said. She was with the brunette girl Ezi and Yukari had seen previously.

"Oh Fuuka… It was just a prank, I didn't mean for things to go so far! She was always so timid and flustered with us… I knew how to push her buttons!"

"What did you do to Yamigishi?" Mitsuru demanded.

"Mitsuru, that's enough!" Mr. Ekoda raised his voice. "Natsuki, you don't have to tell us if it makes you uncomfortable."

"I, w-we, were just messing with her like usual. But, one day, we took her to the gym and locked her in the girls locker room. We had the janitor's keys and everything!"

"You locked her in?" Yukari echoed.

"After hours, Maki got worried she would commit suicide or something and we'd all get in trouble, so she went back, but…"

"But she was found on the ground by the gates the next morning." Yukari finished.

"Yeah. T-then I went to go get Fuuka, but the locker room was still locked. Fuuka wasn't inside anymore, though. After that we went looking for her every night, but one by one, one of my friends would go missing, and they ended up like Maki!"

"No way…" Ezi was puzzled.

"Natsuki, think: was there anything strange about your friends before the incidents?" Mitsuru was swift, like an elegant beautiful detective you would see on television.

Natsuki pondered. "Y-yeah… they each heard a voice—a creepy voice, telling them to stay awake? It freaked some of us out."

"Sempai, do you think its them?" Yukari was referring to the Shadows.

"Hold on." Mitsuru folded her arms. "By the way, Mr. Ekoda, how come you didn't report this to the police? You said her absences were just from illness, but surely you must have known from the parents that she was missing!"

"I-I was thinking of her best interests! Her parents were too! T-they did not want this on her record, and neither did I! Besides, I was thinking about how this would affect all of the students!"

"You mean, you wanted to keep it secret for the good of the class? You even rebuked your responsibilities as a concerned teacher and did not call the police? Despicable!"

He gasped, like he was frightened of her. Mitsuru's family must be highly influential if a teacher let her talk to him that way, even though she was right.

"Let's go!" Mitsuru stormed out and the girls followed her out, including Natsuki.

"If Fuuka was locked in during the Dark Hour…" Ezi realized.

"Up until now, we were not sure why certain people were conscious during the Dark Hour, but it would appear that there's a pattern: they all have heard that voice. The Shadows want to prey on them. Truly, they are the enemy of all humans."

"W-what should we do?" Yukari asked.

"Natsuki, stay at our dorm tonight, it'll be safer there. If you hear the voice, tell us immediately. Don't leave the dorm, no matter what! You should be okay if you can manage that. Don't worry. Yamagishi should be alright as well."

"Fuuka…" Natsuki wiped a tear from her cheek, smudging her makeup tremendously. "I'm so sorry…"  
"Leon, Takeba: we'll meet afterschool in the student council room to discuss tonight's operation."

"Tonight?" Yukari echoed.

"We are going to rescue Yamigishi."

"U-understood!"

.

The rest of the day took too long, and every class dragged. There was too much certainty as to what the night would hold. It had been a week that the boy had visited Ezi's dreams about another ordeal, and now they knew Fuuka was still on campus; this must have been what he was talking about this time.

Everyone gathered in the Student Council room with a stern face, and Mitsuru lead the meeting.

"Tonight, we will infiltrate the campus. Our objective is to rescue Fuuka Yamagishi."

"I don't get it," Junpei scratched his cap, "Is Fuuka inside the school somewhere? How can that be?"

"If she was in the school at midnight…" Yukari said, "The school turned into Tartarus."

"Exactly, that's how Yamagishi wandered into Tartarus."

"Ever since she got locked in, she's been stuck there." Ezi nodded. "This is bad."

"That was like almost two weeks ago!" Junpei cried. "That means by now, she's…"

"Not necessarily. We can't jump to conclusions." Akihiko added. "I have a theory, since the Dark Hour works differently from regular time: Since the Dark Hour only exists one hour a day, even though its been about ten days for us, what if only 10 hours have gone by for her? It's possible she's still alive."

"I hope so… The Dark Hour is pretty brutal." Junpei sighed. We can barely handle an hour—how's she gonna last ten?"

"Yeah, and how will we find her if she is alive? Tartarus is a maze…" Yukari added.

"Are you just gonna let her die then?" Akihiko scolded.

"Sempai, are we going to sneak in to the school tonight?" Ezi asked.

"Yes." He replied.

"We should go to the locker rooms in the gym where she disappeared! Then maybe we can find her when the Dark Hour hits."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Akihiko said. "You see? We can do this."

"I have my reservations." Mitsuru admitted. "If something goes wrong, you could all end up lost in Tartarus, too. But…"

"I won't stand by if this is our chance to save her!" Akihiko said passionately. "What if it was one of you? Wouldn't you hope we'd come looking for you? I'd never forgive myself—if you guys don't want to go, I'll go by myself!"

"I know, you're right." Yukari shook her head. "Sorry. I want to help to."

"We all know the risks, but we can't leave someone in Tartarus." Mitsuru decided.

"Cool, we get to sneak into the school!" Junpei grinned devilishly. "I have a great plan!"

.

.

They all walked back to the dorm together. Mitsuru tried to inform Ikutsuki-san of their situation, and they gathered specific items to travel to Tartarus that night. Each of them grabbed a small bag with food and water for themselves in case they split up, and they were stuck in Tartarus for more than one Dark Hour.

Mitsuru tried to amplify their communication systems on their ear bud walkies. Since the Chairman was nowhere to be found, they had to go with Junpei's plan, and they went to the school that night.

Junpei had broken into their classroom in 2-F.

"You had already unlocked the door earlier today. _Tres bien_." Mitsuru complimented.

"I-it was no problem!" Junpei said.

" _Oui."_ Replied Akihiko.

"Stop." Ezi said.

"Right, we don't have time for compliments! Let's go." Akihiko and Mitsuru went ahead into the hall.

"What's with that?" Yukari snickered.

" _Tray bean_?" Junpei was mocking Mitsuru. "Lousy seniors and their lousy French…"

"Let's split up and search for the key to the gym." Mitsuru announced. "Ezi-san, who would like to travel with to the faculty office?"

"Uh, I'll go with—"

"I'll go with you," Akihiko said.

"Then the three of us will try the janitor's closet. We'll meet back at the gym to get inside, then wait for the Dark Hour. Good luck."

Ezi and Akihiko had reached the entrance to the school hallway.

"The Faculty office is down this hall—" Akihiko gasped, "there's somebody here, hide!" He pushed himself and Ezi behind the stairway. The janitor was stalking by with his flashlight, and they remained hidden until he headed up the stairs.

"That was close," Ezi whispered.

"We should have thought of bringing a flashlight too." Akihiko thought aloud. "It's so dark here! Come on, let's go."

They reached the office, and began searching through the desks for keys. Ezi noticed one on the gym teacher's desk and scooped it up. It said 'GYM' on it.

"Uh, Akihiko-sempai—"

"We can talk later, Ezi-san, we want to find the key as soon as possible-"

She dangled the key in his face.

"…if you had it, why didn't you just say so?" He slammed the desks shut. "Come on," he tried to scurry passed her, but instead he tripped over the leg of one of the office chairs, and fell on top of her. They both yelled and made a loud 'thud' when they hit the ground.

"S-sorry, are you okay?" He rubbed his head.

"Yes… could you please get off me, though?" She could feel her hot breathe against her cheek, and it caused her face to flush.

"Ah! S-sorry," He jumped up quickly, then they could hear the footsteps of the janitor in the hall. "Quick!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her beside the edge of the door, pressing her into him. When the security guard peeked in, he hadn't noticed them squished behind the door, and then he left after his scan. They kept quiet for a while, Ezi couldn't help but notice their proximity, Akihiko having had pinned her to the wall to keep them from being seen. He was warm.

He had noticed, too.

"Ahh, s-sorry, again!" He stepped away, embarrassed. "That was close. L-Let's go."

"Y-yeah…" He probably couldn't see her reaction in the dark.

They met with the others at the gym. Mitsuru and Yukari stayed behind, outside of the school until the time, as Junpei had insisted on going this mission for screwing up on the one with the monorail. It was Ezi, Akihiko and Junpei that waited inside the gym, and Mitsuru and Yukari exited the school after the security guard left.

As the school morphed into Tartarus, the girl at the dorm by herself became possessed by a voice, and she wandered into the streets…

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

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.

.

.

.

.

…It seemed she was unconscious. Ezi felt lightheaded as she stood up, appearing to be back in the lavender halls of Tartarus.

"Akihiko? Junpei?" She called out in a normal tone, trying not to get any attention from nearby Shadows.

"Mitsuru-?" The ear buds were static, until they went completely quiet.

…She was alone.

She took a deep breath, feeling cramped for a moment, then she wiggled and stretched to prepare searching around on her own. Tartarus seemed to be creepier without being able to talk to her friends. Poor Fuuka had been alone in here for days and she was feeling creeped out within a few minutes—

 ** _"Are you awake?"_**

"JESUS CRACKERS!" She jumped and turned to the voice. "You again? You little brat, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

The boy in the striped pajamas was smiling up at her innocently enough.

"This is the first time we've spoken outside of your room. It's a full moon tonight."

"Yeah, no shit… that's why I wasn't expecting to see you! H-how come you're here now?"

He chuckled, eerily. "I told you, I'm always with you."

"Oh, right… what are you? Some kind of Shadow? A Persona, maybe? Just tell me already, please."

"Sorry, we don't have much time to talk. Tonight, there is more than one ordeal you must face…"

"There's a missing girl. You're telling me there's more?"

"You should hurry… She's waiting for you."

"Fuuka? She's alive?"

"You guys will need her help. Okay then… I hope we can speak again soon."

"No, wait—"

The mysterious boy disappeared, as he always did, in the blink of an eye.

She shook it off and picked up her naginata. Communication was breaking up, so she would have to explore Tartarus on her own. There weren't any Shadows every hall she went down, and Mitsuru seemed to be trying to use the walkies, but there was another voice too.

 _"Who's there? Are you human? Where am I? Why am I here?"_

Ezi ran up the stairs. The voice was becoming clearer.

 _"Please answer me…"_ It was a girl's soft voice.

"Hello?"

"Ezi? Hey, there she is!"

On the next floor were Junpei and Akihiko.

"Dude, we were worried about you!"

"I don't think we should enter Tartarus this way again." Akihiko decided. "Are you okay?"

She thought about the boy. "I think so… did you guys hear another voice? Other than Mitsuru? I think it was Fuuka, we have to find her!"

"Calm down, we can keep looking…"

"Who's there? Are you human?"

"The voice sounded like that!"

Junpei nodded. "I heard it too, like it was behind us…" Both of the guys yelled. There was a startled pale girl standing there. She had short mossy green hair, and she was wearing the school uniform with a light blue turtle neck underneath.

"Are you Fuuka Yamagishi?" Akihiko asked.

"Y-Yes!"

"Wow, you're alive! That's awesome! Never fear; Junpei's here!"

"I'm glad you're okay." Akihiko said.

"Me too, come with us!" Ezi insisted.

"Thank you so much… Where are we? Are we in school still?"

"It's hard to explain…" Junpei fixed his hat, and Akihiko was trying to communicate with Mitsuru "…Oh yeah, are you hurt? Have you run into any monsters while you were here?"

"So there are strange creatures in here then… I've managed to avoid them so far."

"Are you serious? How?"

She stammered. "It's sort of hard to explain, but I can sort of sense where they are."

"Just like Mitsuru…" Ezi seemed dazzled.

"Maybe even stronger than her, though." Akihiko added.

"That's incredible! I'm glad you were able to use your Persona to avoid them!" Junpei declared.

"Per…sona?"

"It's a long story. But, hang onto this." Akihiko gave her the Evoker they had planned to give her originally.

She gasped when she saw the gleaming gun.

"But, this is-!"

"Its not really a gun. More like a lucky charm…"

"That really explains it!" Ezi teased.

Fuuka held it like it was a foreign object. "Um, okay?"

They traveled the opposite way, going down every staircase, even protecting Fuuka as they had to fight oncoming small Shadows, and hiding from the larger ones that Fuuka could sense—

They made it to the first block, Thebel, where there was a small window clearing—the moon looked as if it were descending right next to them on the outside, it was full, bright, and yellow.

"Check out that full moon!" Exclaimed Junpei.

 _It's a full moon tonight…_

Ezi slowed down and stared at it, processing something.  
"Ezi, what's wrong?" Akihiko turned to her, and the others slowed down.

"Its so big… Like those Shadows…"

"Yeah… some people change during a full moon. Mitsuru mentioned research about how it can affect Shadows, too."

"Wait, wasn't it a full moon the night of the monorail?" Junpei realized.

"I don't know, I think so…"

"Wait!" Akihiko snapped his fingers and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to recollect something. "Ezi, that Shadow that attacked the dorm when you were on the roof—was it a full moon then, too, back in April?"

"Uh, I don't know… I was too focused on the big Shadow with all the knives coming at me…" She paused and tried to remember, seeing the black hands of the creature crawl up onto the roof; the large yellow moonlight behind the Shadow was its stage.

"Wait a minute, I think it was a full moon then!"

"Today is the eighth… the monorail happened about a month ago, and the Shadow at the dorm before that! They were all during a full moon!"

"It all makes sense." Ezi said quietly. "But, if that's true, then today…"

Akihiko tried contacting Mitsuru again, but the signal was still broken.

Fuuka gasped. "There's people downstairs… and those creatures…"

Akihiko cursed at the earpiece. "You can sense them? We gotta hurry! Fuuka, can you find a teleport for us? There has to be one around here!"

.

.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of Tartarus, Mitsuru and Yukari were having trouble against the giant Shadows that suddenly appeared. They were both large with black bodies: One of them was a shorter, rounder woman Shadow, with a long neck and head like a swan dressed like an Empress—she had on a blue dress and wide golden collar on her back, holding a scepter with a gold and white mask on and jewelry all over, with a cape that sashed behind her that was connected to her wrists.

The second was tall and lean, like a man. It had on a black uniform with a red cross on its chest and a short red cape. He had disproportionately long and hollow limbs, and a pink mask for its head.

Mitsuru was already on the ground from an earlier impact, groaning in agony from the pain tingling all through her body.

Yukari stepped back to catch her breath. "What's going on? None of our attacks are working on these things!"

The others seeped into the room from the green portal platform.

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko summoned his Persona to use zio, the lightning strike, and pushed them back for a moment. He quickly ran to Mitsuru's aid, pulling her farther away from the Shadows.

"What in the world are those?" Fuuka cried.

"Guys, we gotta distract these Shadows somehow!"

"I know just how to do it!" Akihiko said triumphantly. He began to run around the Shadows, across the room, away from the injured Mitsuru by the portal. "Hey! If it's a fight you want, we'll give it to you!"

"That works…" Ezi shrugged.

"Leon-san, wait!" Mitsuru said weakly. "Normal attacks won't work on these Shadows."

"Huh?" She took the advice and raced with the others to the other side of the room, as she ran, she could see someone entering the lobby from outside of Tartarus!

"Fuuka…" A hypnotized Natsuki stalked sluggishly towards the Shadows.

"Moriyama-san?" Fuuka looked to the girl who had been tormenting her for weeks. "Please, get out of here! Its dangerous!"

"…Had to tell…"

"What?"

"I had to tell you… I'm sorry…"

The soldier like Shadow noticed Natsuki, and sauntered slowly to her.

"Oh no you don't!" Junpei used his Hermes to throw firing pellets, and it fell down.

Akihiko used zio again, and it shocked the other one to fall over as well.

"See, they're not so tough!"

"Good job, guys!" Ezi cheered. Then a swirling light came over the unconscious Shadows—they lit up for a moment, then began to rise up again.

Ezi stood on the other side of the Shadows from Akihiko and Junpei. "Junpei! Do it again!"

"Right!" He pointed the gun to his head, and Hermes appeared. It raised its pellet attack once more on the same Shadow—but it bounced right off of it.

"What? It worked last time!" Hermes had to use its golden foot wings to block the silver sword it was holding, but the other Shadow bumped into Hermes and his Persona disappeared. The Shadow punched Junpei back into the stairway.

Ezi summoned her Persona—but she froze- between the two Shadows was a small human wearing black—What if she hit them—

The queen-like one whacked Ezi with her scepter, and she went flying—her back went into a pillar and her head was spinning. The Shadow used garu on Akihiko and Junpei, and they went spiraling back hard into Yukari and Mitsuru, and they were all muddled on the floor beside the portal, trying to stand up, but too dizzy to do so. The Shadows continued their assault towards Natsuki.

"No, look out!" Fuuka cried. She raced across the room, passed the Shadows, towards Natsuki. The girl fell to her knees and Fuuka tried to comfort her. "What are you doing here? Run!"

"I'm sorry… Fuuka… I-I'm so sorry…" Natsuki continued to weep, and Fuuka held her.

"Run!" Akihiko called out. The Shadow with the sword raised it up to them.

"I'll protect her…" Fuuka stood up and raised her evoker.

"It's not a weapon!" Akihiko cried out. "Dammit!" He tried standing up, but it took him a moment.

"I know." She said certainly, and she pointed the gun to her forehead, unleashing a gust of wind that drew the Shadows back, and unleashed her Persona—

Lucia had a red face, and her eyes and head were wrapped in bandages, and she had flowing gold hair. Her body was in a pink dress, and her abdomen part swelled—her lower half was a glistening orb that enveloped itself around Fuuka, with a pink sash pinned to the back of it. Her arms were out and raised like an elegant spirit.

"I can see it… their weaknesses…" Fuuka was holding her hands together, but her lips weren't moving when she spoke, yet they could all hear her.

"She does have a sensory type…" Akihiko realized. "Wait! It's not for battle then! You still have to run!"

Ezi awoke, hearing the commotion. "P…Pixie…" The Persona appeared and gave her energy using Dia. Her back felt better, and she raced over to Fuuka. She summoned Orpheus to block the next sword attack before it could hit Fuuka, then she used agi fire to push them back, but it bounced off.

"Fire won't work!" Junpei called out. He and the others were standing back up again.

Orpheus had to block another incoming sword attack, and the other one was approaching closer to them.

"Fuuka! You want to protect Natsuki, right?" Ezi asked.

"Yes! She is my friend…"

"I want to protect my friends too! If you can sense their power, let me know what powers to use, okay?"

"But I…"

"No! You can do this…" Ezi used her evoker again. "Saravasti!"

A new Persona had been evoked, a god-like woman with closed eyes, a ukulele, and wore green garments. She strung her instrument, and blew out a cold air that froze both the Shadows by incasing them in ice.

"Did that work?" Junpei wondered.

"No…" Akihiko analyzed. He summoned Polydeuces before they could break the ice when the swirl of light gave them a new power, and they scooped down on Junpei and Akihiko, knocking the boys into one another.

"Leon-san! Get Yamagishi and Moriyama-san out of here! We won't succeed if we all die!" Mitsuru was calling out to her, while Yukair was trying to help her up.

"I'm not leaving you…" Ezi watched the Shadow stand up. Saravasti used ice again, but like before, the attack bounced off, and the woman Shadow cut through her with her spear, and the Persona was defeated.

"We'll take care of this!" Akihiko tried zio, and the power was deflected, then garu worked from Yukari's persona Lo, but then it didn't.

"Damn, what do we do?" Ezi looked at her comrades, who were obviously exhausted— summoning a Persona took a physical blow as well as spiritual, and summoning them over and over again this way was surely harming them, and they were getting no where.

"Use fire again!" Fuuka yelled suddenly. "It will work this time!"

Junpei hesitated, but Hermes appeared again and used fire from its wings, and it did settle on the soldier Persona, setting it in a light blaze.

"Use wind on the other one!"

"Got it!" Yukari summoned Lo and the green wind whipped the queen Shadow back. The swirling light appeared again on both the Shadows, as they were changing once more.

"Every time their weakness is exploited, they change—but they will still have a weakness…"

"You can sense all of that?" Mitsuru realized.

"Yes… Use lightning!"

"I've been waiting for this!" Akihiko summoned his Persona, and the lightning bolt struck down onto both of them, electrocuting them both.

They changed again, and ice was their weakness now. Fuuka was able to sense it quickly—

"Jack Frost!" Ezi froze both of them again, and the Empress Shadow fell into a pile of shattered ice pieces, until it dissolved. The Emperor Shadow changed again, and broke the ice—

"Physical attacks will work!"

Polydeuces kicked it back, and Ezi summoned Orpheus again—She whacked it hard with her harp-like weapon, cracking the skin—it changed once more—

"Fire again!" Fuuka declared. Hermes used its fire pellets, and it clawed into the hollow body of the Shadow—Orpheus spat fire from her mouth, and burned it to a crisp.

Ezi finally fell to her knees, exhausted.

"We're alive…" Yukari wheezed.

Natsuki stood up. She was no longer possessed by the Shadows, and all of the Persona's disappeared.

"Fuuka! You…"

"Are you okay?" Fuuka asked.

"Yeah… thank you…"

"Good…" Fuuka fell forward, and Ezi caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Fuuka!"

"D-don't worry. She's just exhausted." Mitsuru groaned, tired herself.

"Whoo! We actually did it!" Junpei cheered.

"Sempai, what about Natsuki?" Yukari whispered. They watched the girl sit on her knees

beside Fuuka on the ground with Ezi.

"Don't worry. Research shows she won't remember this, since she came into Tartarus and doesn't have the potential."

"Then, she won't remember Fuuka saved her? That's kind of unfair."

"I don't think it will be a problem…"

Natsuki was still crying. "I'm so sorry, Fuuka…"

"You know, she was really looking out for you." Ezi said quietly. "Even after all you did, I think she forgives you…" She closed her eyes for a moment. Fuuka had saved all of them, and now the Dark Hour was reaching its end.

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She had become tired. The previous night had been their most intense battle yet. The boy who appeared was more than a dream, and they had found a new Persona user. She was still too tired to make sense of all of it… but they still had to go to school the next day. Her body was sore.

"Hey," Yukari walked with her, "do you think Mitsuru saved Fuuka because it was the right thing to do? Or because she was a Persona-user and we needed her?"

Ezi rubbed her eyes. "How are you thinking about this right now? The daylight…it burns us!"

"I'm being serious! Sorry to bring it up out of the blue."

The rest of the day was fairly normal, and she went to the Fashion Club to make a scarf with Bebe as he worked on his kimono with cheap material. At the dorm that night, Yukari informed her that an antique shop with gifts had opened, and that the seniors were visiting Fuuka in the hospital.

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Things went that way for the next few days. Everyone adjusted to living regularly until Fuuka would be released from the hospital. Ezi rarely saw Mitsuru or Akihiko at the lounge, so she took to studying with the others. She even managed to visit the monk again, and he rambled a bit more about his life and the shrine.

Finally, after almost five days, Akihiko sent her a text message that they would be speaking with Fuuka at the dorm that evening. She went to the library committee afterschool and was bored as usual. All she could think about was the happenings around the Personas…

The girl with buns stomped into the room.

"Are you Saori?" She asked loudly.

"Y-yes, what's wrong?" She asked. The girl stood beside her and slapped Saori's face! This caused Ezi to stand up from her chair.

"What's your problem? Leave her alone!" She snapped, about to circle around the table towards her.

"No, no! It's fine." Saori halted her.

"You bitch! You went out with my boyfriend, didn't you?"

"Who? You mean, Huu-san? I'm sorry, but he asked me out."

"That dick from student council?" Ezi recalled. "He came in here the other day and asked her out! I was here when he did!"

"Shut-up! Like I'm gonna believe you," The girl said to Ezi, "and YOU-" she pointed at Saori, "stay the hell from my boyfriend! Or I'll do more than sting your cheek!"

"You better plan on going through me first, you little-!"

"Ezi, don't." Saori said, sadly. The girl stomped out and slammed the library door behind her.

"Saori… are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt."

"But, it's that guys fault! I can handle confrontation, but that trick slapped you!"

"Trick?"

"That _Ho_ ," she clarified, "I can't believe her!"

"I can," Saori said softly, "she likes Huu-san, so she has put her faith into him. Even though he's not truthful, I admire her for supporting him."

"Saori… really? That's so…humble of you."

She chuckled, squinting her eyes. "You think so? I'm just trying to see everyone's perspective in this. But, thank you for trying to stick up for me, Ezi."

"Of course! You're so sweet, you shouldn't be treated like that from anyone… I should have a talk with that guy at student council…"

"N-no, please don't, it's in the past. I'll be alright."

"Okay." Ezi smiled. "I can't believe how well you're taking this! I'm inspired."

She laughed. "Things can get complicated when love's concerned… I should know."

"Yeah? I try to avoid those things, but I still can't get away from the gossip.

"Thank you again… I guess we'd get better get back to work."

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After the committee, it was time to march to the dorm and prepare to meet Fuuka again.

In the command room, Fuuka and the Chairman were sitting with the others on the pink couches. It reminded Ezi of when they greeted her to join SEES. Fuuka seemed nervous.

"You all did excellent the other night uncovering the truth. Also, the three girls are back to normal as well."

"What a relief…" Fuuka said. "But they got hurt because of me. It's my fault."

"What do you mean? You were the victim here!" Yukari chided.

"But, everyone came looking because of me… I put all of you in danger."

"We could have lost that fight without your help." Mitsuru clarified. "You saved our lives… you should feel good about yourself. You have a special power that you can use to help others."

"The Persona?" Fuuka pondered.

"You could be of tremendous help to us. Will you lend us your strength?"

"Are you asking me to join you?"

"That's correct."

"I think you'd make a good addition to the team, too." Akihiko inserted.

"You know, we're not trying to pressure you, so if you need some time to think about it…" Yukari sounded more delicate.

"I'll do it. I'll help you guys!"

"Are you sure?" Yukari pressed. "mnIf you join, you'll have to move in here with us."

"That's fine. I'd rather live here than home anyway."

Mitsuru smiled. "We really appreciate this. We'll have the school talk with your parents to resolve any issues."

"What? Aren't we dragging her into this a little too quickly?"

"Um, it's okay, really. I mean, it'll be nice to have two girls in my grade around, too…"

"Welcome aboard, Fuuka!" Ezi said cheerily. "Seriously, thanks again for the other night. You were amazing!"

"Oh yes! Thank you; I hope I can prove myself useful to you all."

"Now then," Ikutsuki-san switched gears, "we still don't know where those special Shadows are coming from, but Akihiko was right about one thing: they seem to coincide with the full moon. We can take that into consideration from now on."

"Ah, they're like werewolves then!" Junpei compared.

"It's a big advantage for us to know when to expect them." Akihiko smirked. "Now, on the day of the fight, we'll be ready to get in the ring."

"More boxing metaphors you'd like to add, sempai?" Ezi crossed her arms.

"Come on, I mean it!"

The SEES team deduced the pattern of the gigantic Shadows. Could there be more to these Shadows than just their appearances? How many more were going to show up?

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The next two days, the team had to clean up Fuuka's soon-to-be room before she arrived…

It was a mess, and Ezi forced the boys to work with the girls on it since for some reason they weren't going to help already.

"I don't wanna!" Junpei cried. "There's probably cockroaches in there!"

"Oh, but its okay if we do it, Stupei?"

"I don't want to alarm anyone, but… prepare yourselves." Mitsuru used an old key to enter the bedroom across from Ezi's room. The lights flickered when she turned them on. There was dust on everything, a sheet covering the desk and bed at the end of the room—and cute cat posters peeling from the walls.

"Damn," Akihiko scowled. "Who lived in here before?"

"Probably Ikutsuki-San," Junpei snickered, and the joke made the others chuckle too.

They dropped their buckets of soapy water and gloved their hands, pulled their hair back, and prepare to clean the nightmare of a room. Ezi used equipment from the Command Room to play funky music with.

"I wish I could just punch all this dirt and grim away." Akihiko said through his surgical mask.

"Honestly, have you guys ever cleaned up anything before in your life?" Yukari chided. "This is good life lessons for you."

"Hey, I wipe off my exercise equipment when I need to!"

Junpei danced to the music as he swept incorrectly, and Ezi joined in for a duet with her towel rag when a fun song came on. It did take them two afternoons after school to finish polishing up Fuuka's future room- They did not go to Tartarus as they were preparing for her arrival, which made it easy for a boy to visit during the Dark Hour one night.

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She was dreaming about kittens and dust when she felt the familiar presence at the foot of her bed.

"Good evening. I'm glad you did well on the ordeal before."

She did not speak as she slowly threw the covers off and stood up to walk over to him. "You're really real… I thought you were a dream, but you were there the other night, trying to help me."

"Do you remember what I said before? About everything coming to an end?"

"How could I forget? But I did just think you were threatening me, or warning me about the monorail… that wasn't it, was it?"

"No, in fact I recalled something else… I'm fairly sure that the end is inevitable."

"What end? The end of the Shadows? What! You've been giving me warnings, and I want to believe you, but I won't stop fighting! I know this is what I was meant to do- why I'm here."

"It's funny… It doesn't seem so certain, considering the vast potential within you."

"That's right! Whatever end this is you speak of, I won't give up on my team! I'm sure we'll be okay, and now we have Fuuka too."

"I see. As a matter of fact, your own power seems to have changed quite a bit."

"How so?"

"Your Personas… You are able to get stronger because of the people you have around you… interesting…"

"Is it? I think there's a connection to everything that's happening… maybe that's why I'm okay with opening up to people and making friends here. I feel my bonds here are making me stronger, since I want to protect everyone and my friends."

The boy paused. "If you don't mind, can I be your friend?"

"Eh?"

"I'm very curious about you… Is that okay?"

"Little boy… you said you were always with me—weird, first of all—but you want to be my friend to get to know me?"

"Correct."

She scratched her chin. "We can't be friends…"

"Ah-"

"Until you tell me your name, first."

"Name?"

"Yeah, you know, the thing you get when you're born."

"…Oh, I see, I need a name!"

"Yep."

"My name is… Pharos. You may call me that, if you wish."

She smiled. "Okay. Nice to officially meet you, Pharos."

"The pleasure is all mine… It's getting late, so I'll go now."

"Wait! I have so many questions!"

"I'm sorry, I don't have all of the answers yet. I'm already looking forward to our next meeting. Bye-bye."

Pharos vanished. It was harder to go to bed after this encounter…

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The five-minute warning bell rang in the morning, and Mitsuru approached Ezi. It felt rare to ever see her on campus.

"Good morning, Leon."

"Hey Mitsuru, what's up?"

"Yamagishi will be at our dorm, starting today, and she will be providing us support outside of Tartarus."

"I know! It's all exciting!"

"This means I'll be able to join the lines with all of you."

"Alright! You're reliable. Will you be okay?"

"I've been training. You can count on me."

At lunchtime, Ezi went to some of the billboards she had posted the protest on for the persimmon tree. Out of all 20 that she had posted, about 40 students had signed the sheets—hardly enough for a protest. She decided to leave them up a little longer. Before she could go back to homeroom, Bebe asked if she would attend the Fashion Club—and her phone rang. It was an unknown caller.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon, this is Theo."

"Oh! Hey buddy…"

"I just wanted to let you know that the seal deep within Tartarus has been broken."

"We can go up higher? Great! What an extreme coincidence…"

"That's all—have a good rest of your day."

Ezi was moody the rest of the day. The fact no one seemed to care about the Persimmon tree suddenly seemed upsetting—Their son was dead, and their most precious memories of him were bundled in the wood of that tree-

After school, she wanted to go see them and report, but Bebe had insisted she go to Fashion Club first. She didn't all feel like making a scarf, but it had been her project she had been working on for weeks that was the mere shadow of Bebe's kimono.

It was just red, but it definitely resembled something of a decent scarf.

"Ah- Good, you are feenished?"

"Uh-huh-" She wrapped the scarf around his neck. "-what do you think?"

"It as your warmth!" He cheered, snuggling into it. "Truly, zis will be a good gift for someone on a date!"

"D-date?" She blushed. "I don't know…" Bebe gently folded the scarf and handed it back to her.

"It is beautiful. I truly envy the man who will get zis gift from you."

"You're so sweet. So, do you have a few more weeks until you get the kimono done?"

"Actually, zat is why I wanted you 'ere. Come, see!" At his sewing machine was the kimono—a pink and magenta silk embroided with flower patterns, and all the while it held a slender, hemmed and completed piece of clothing.

"Wow-!"

"I ave to put on ze final touches! I zink I am so tired, I can see my aunt!"

"Do you need any help?"

"I will be done soon!"

After a few more minutes, Bebe lifted the finished kimono up.

"Ta-dahhh!"

Ezi clapped. "You did it!"

"Zanks to you. Your words will always 'ave a place in my 'eart."

"What do you mean? You still have to show your uncle your work!"

"I'm afraid that wouldn't matter. See, I am going to ma aunts funeral, zen I will 'ave to stay at my home."

"What? But I thought you had to impress your uncle?"

"I did, at first… but, he does not 'ave any money to let me stay 'ere. I am sorry I did not tell you sooner."

"Bebe… I could have gotten you a gift! I could have tried something to help you stay, like a fundraiser!"

"You are very kind. It iz okay. I realized ma uncle needs me zere—he is lonely now and needs to be taken care of for a while. But, I am sure he will let me come visit _Nihon_ someday, I can see you again!"

Ezi embraced him. "This is not fair! I'm going to miss this club so much with you!"

"I know— _gomenosaii_ —I have to say goodbye for a little while… _Sayonara_ …" He wailed a bit, and it upset Ezi, in a way she was happy for Bebe's experience in Japan. He gave her a money pouch he had made from the leftover material as a sign of their friendship, and then he left, deciding they would be pen pals for the duration that he was gone.

She felt something missing when she returned to the dorm—one soul that had been comforting was now leaving this cursed place. The others were lounging around when Fuuka stepped over to her.

"Good afternoon, Ezi-san." She stammered.

"Hey, Fuuka! Do you like your new room?"

"Oh, yes, thank you very much—" She was fidgeting with the black lab-top in her hands. "—I uh, just wanted to say, I'll be in charge of Tartarus updates. If you want to go there, just let me know instead, since Mitsuru will be joining you all."

"Alright. Thanks."

Fuuka nodded and let her be. She thought about Yukari's complaints and how Mitsuru may have pushed Fuuka to join. Whatever the reasons, they were going to learn something that reaped deadly and new with Fuuka as their guide into the next section of Tartarus.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: I know it was another long one. The first time I wrote this eons ago I tried to make my own fight scenes and it was dull. Then the movie came out! So for the major Shadow fights I'll be using the action from the movie, but still with the female protagonist of course...

Thanks for the reviews so far! R&R!

 _Farewell, my dearest~_


	10. Date 9: Reapers and Rumors

A/N: Sup? If you've read this far thank you :) There's some more Theo in this one, and just some interactions with the social links to make them more part of the main storyline. Enjoy!

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Date 9: Reapers and Rumors

There was anticipation in everyone to see the perfect, divine Mitsuru Kirijo battle alongside them in Tartarus. Mitsuru had on her uniform, and a black rapier for fencing was her hand weapon. Fuuka didn't need the amplifier—her Persona, Lucia, sent her voice directly to them telepathically.

Ezi had gone to the Velvet Room to see Theo and Igor, in order to observe the Persona she had so far—Then on her timeless return, they went in into the labyrinth. When the seal became obscured, they were in a different section of the second block—the walls were still purple, and there was unpleasant statue faces with thin eyes and pale purple skin looking down on those that searched the halls.

The first Shadow they saw were two Haughty Maya—mayas with elongated, purple masks.

"Sempais, do you guys want to take these two?" Ezi asked. Akihiko and Mitsuru nodded. Akihiko summoned his Polydeuces, and it drilled its needle arm into one. Mitsuru did not waste her energy on the puddle-like Shadows to summon a Persona. In one hand, she parried her rapier forward several times, until she slashed down on it, and it turned to mush and vanished.

"Nice, sempai!" Junpei gave her a thumb-up. They continued on, and next they snuck up on a sky balance, and a jealous cupid, which was a red masked shadow the size of a baby with fluttering wings.

"Don't let them use their bow and arrow on you!" Fuuka whispered in their heads.

"Not before I get it with mine." Yukari smirked confidently. Akihiko struck the Balance cross down with his fist, and then Yukari shot her arrow, but her arrow whizzed by the cupid's form. It turned around and did the same action with its bow rather quickly. Yukari gasped, and Mitsuru stepped in by protecting her with her Persona.

"Penthesilea!" The thin thing had woman's knight armor for her blouse, and a knight's tight helmet encased around its head. It had hosiery that reached to its white-laced shoes and heels, and it held a triangular Epee in one hand, and a thin long sword in the other. It crossed the swords together to block the arrow, then it struck back using Marin Karin by whipping its sword at the cupid and unleashing an aphrodisiac like magic upon the Shadow.

The cupid wiggled its head for a moment, then shot its arrows at the other cupids to wipe them out. Ezi jumped in and used a slash attack on the one Mitsuru had seemed to possess with her Persona.

"What was that? The Shadow totally just turned on its other buddies!" Junpei exclaimed.

"Takeba-san, are you okay?" Mitsuru asked.

"F-fine, of course!"

"That was a charm spell, right, Mitsuru?" Akihiko asked with a wild smile. He just wanted to punch more things with his fists.

"Correct. I believe your Persona also has this potential, Takeba. You'll tap into it eventually."

Yukari smiled and nodded, but she was clearly trying too hard. They reached out to higher floors, and the small cupids, Mayas, and Bronze blocks seemed rather fragile compared to the two large Shadows they had fought on the full moon a few nights before. Mitsuru was out to prove herself—Ezi still led, but Mitsuru was still on the brink of moving ahead towards the small Shadows when she could. She lunged her weapon effortlessly, and used bufu ice from her elegant Persona to weaken the cupids and bronze dice Shadow.

"How are you all doing? The large enemy is one the next floor."

It was still new to hear Fuuka speak telepathically.

"I am prepared. How are all of your statuses?" Mitsuru tapped her booted heel on the ground. She hadn't seemed to broken into sweat yet.

"I can keep going!" Yukari was out of breath.

Ezi leaned her staff against her shoulder, and wrapped her hands on her hips to catch some air. "You guys sure? We have gone up a lot of floors. I'm good, but be honest."

Akihiko and Junpei agreed, and the three of them were pulled into the battle on the next floor—

3 golden beetles, the size of school buses, were blocking the large room down the hallway that held the stairways to the next floor. They each had on a fancy red crown, and they made a loud 'buzz' sound when their wings flapped.

"Those are some big bugs…" Junpei summoned Hermes and used fire pellets on one of them, and it roared and went on its hind legs to stand up and flap its wings. Ezi used Orpheus to summon agilao fire, and it roasted the beetle. Mitsuru and Akihiko went for another beetle together—her Persona used its daggers to swipe and push the beetle back. Polydeuces used zio lightning to strike it, and it toppled over on its belly, making it easy for Penthesilea to stab into its guts and defeat it.

The third beetle soared into the air—with an attempt to land heavily on Yukari. She summoned Lo, and it blocked the Shadow from crushing her from above. Lo disappeared, and Yukari jumped away desperately in time and slid face down as the beetle hit the ground, crushing the tile beneath its shelly body. Fuuka proclaimed that they needed to use zio, and Akihiko did so gladly, turning the beetle over again. Ezi summoned Raphael, an enchanting angel with robes and feathered wings, and it used hamo light on its belly, vanquishing it.

"You okay, Yukari?" Ezi helped her up.

"Yeah, fine."

"Good work! We have annihilated the obstacle in our path. Leon-san, what are your orders?"

"Oh—check for any loose items on this floor, than use the large portal to finish up for the night."

They followed the routine quietly, then returned to the dorm when their work was done. Fuuka and Mitsuru seemed to flow well with operations so far, and the SEES team was making progress up Tartarus faster with so much aid. Also, thankfully, Ezi hadn't seen a dark figure that night like before.

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Rio had a face on her, like she was far from where they were presently… Rio and Ezi were the only two girls who had shown up that day to practice, and prior to it, the girls had been disagreeing harshly with how intense their basketball training had become. Ezi liked it, since she didn't mind the extra physical strain to prepare for Tartarus. They were stretching quietly in the middle of the court together when a boy from Ezi's classroom broke their concentration. He entered from the gym double doors from the courtyard. Ezi remembered that his name was Kenji, and sometime earlier that year he'd been caught slacking off in class. He had short, thin, messy brown hair, dark eyes, and a smug grin on his face, wearing only the white shirt and black slacks of his uniform.

He walked hastily over to them. "Sup?"

"You tell us, you came here." Rio said quickly.

"I got some homework I don't understand. Would you mind doing it for me, or at least show me how to do it?"

Again, Rio answered. "Are you serious? You probably just fell asleep in class again."

He chuckled embarrassingly.

"What do I get in return for it?" She demanded.

"Ooh, so you're up for it? Lucky me!"

"Answer the question."

"I'll give you my love in return. Love, baby!"

"Nobody needs that. How about you buy me a special at Hagakure, instead?"

He closed one eye and looked upward. "Ouch, steep! Okay, I can wait for you until you're done I guess."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kenji without another word went out of the gym, and Rio continued to stretch like nothing had happened.

"…You two get along well." Ezi finally commented.

"Oh? Yeah I guess. I've known him since pre-school. He's like a younger brother to me." She laughed, then her distant eyes appeared again. "Sorry, I guess it's not much of a practice with just us two today."

"They'll eventually come back… I hope."

"Yeah… I mean, it's not like its my fault! I know I should be more mature, but all that stuff about me never having been in a relationship—that's none of their business!"

"Is that their issue with you?"

"They think I'd be less strict if I was in one."

"That's none of their business."

"Right?"

"What is it with girls being so caddy in the halls? I don't get it; do something more constructive than deconstruct other people's lives."

"Exactly! You get me…" Despite this, Rio still seemed vexed. They stood up and grabbed two basketballs to shoot around a bit before doing drills.

Rio griped her ball intensely. "Ezi… do you have… someone you like?"

Ezi stared at her. Rio didn't seem the type to be curious about this. She seemed a tomboy like herself and was usually more focused, professional. She had to think about the question and made a three point shot as she mused.

"No." She was uncertain.

"I-is that so?" She said absently. "I don't get romance. It feels like its too much trouble and there's no big reward for it."

"You might be right." Ezi thought about how comfortable Rio was with Kenji. Maybe that's what brought up the conversation. "I wouldn't know, though. I used to think love was just girls being obsessed with boys, but I've never been in love, so I can't really say."

"Have you ever had anyone like you before?"

She thought about middle school, and high school back in America. "Probably. There was one boy I fancied before in middle school-" She paused, and grimaced.

"What's wrong?"

"Simon. He died from some weird health complications before we got to high school. I-I think he may have liked me, but I never got close enough to him to find out."

"Really? I'm sorry…"

"You did nothing wrong." She winked. "I guess we should finish up practice so you can help Kenji?"

"R-right, but not because I want to go help him!"

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After practice, Ezi walked back to the dorm with Yukari. The girl seemed obsessed with finding some error in Mitsuru's ways.

"I just think she pushed Fuuka, that's all. I hope I'm not being paranoid about this, but it bothers me."

It caused Ezi to think too. Mitsuru was high class and driven, so it would make sense she would want to recruit more help for their ultimate goals. Also, it had been less of a hassle when she worked with them inside of Tartarus. She just wasn't sure.

.

Days went by of busy work, and Ezi scrolled it all down in her itinerary, she saw a former page reminding her of the Persimmon tree petition. A few more people had signed, but not a big enough amount to stop the construction. When she took the paper down by the teacher's lounge during lunch, the math teacher, Ms. Miyahara, disrupted her.

"Leon-san," she said unusually sternly, "did you put those petitions up? About the tree?"

Would she be in trouble for this? Hidetoshi from the Student Council had even helped her make copies one day.

"Yes, ma'm."

"Come with me." The lanky, afro-haired elder with glasses turned to go to her desk in the staff's office, and Ezi followed her in. Ms. Miyahara scrambled through her desk to find a dusty black book, and she flipped through it in front of Ezi to show it held pages of black and white photos of students and teachers in old school uniforms.

"Ah- there it is-" She pointed to herself in a line of students in rows for their school picture, from many years ago. "—See that one with the curly hair is me. I never did get much approval from the boys. And here-" She pointed to a boy with a gleaming, wide grin, and straight black hair and beady eyes "—Is the old couples late son."

"You-?" Ezi realized the connection.

"I still know some of these people. I could get their numbers from the directory and see if they could start a fund for the tree here in school. What do you say?"

"That would be… amazing! Would you kindly, Ms. Miyahara?"

"I suppose I certainly could. I wouldn't have thought of it though if I hadn't seen the flyers, so that's why I thought I'd let you know. Don't worry. That boy had many friends—they will definitely help."

She seemed to skip back to class after the good news, and saw Akihiko walking by her classroom ahead of her.

"Sempai? You're not supposed to be here."

"I-I'm not?" He sounded worried.

"Oh, well, I don't know… what's up?"

"There you go being weird again. Fancy seeing you here. Oh, wait… This is right in front of your classroom, isn't it?"

"Yeah! I'll see you later today though, probably."

"Do you want to hangout, then? I'm usually by the club rooms after school."

"Hmmm, I don't know, I should probably do more constructive things than hangout with you! I could be doing community service—saving puppies."

"Oh, well, if you're busy—"

She laughed. "No, man, it's a joke!"

"O-Oh."

"Anyway, I guess we can hang."

"G-good, then, I'll meet you there." He hurried off.

"He's being more humble than usual." She thought to herself, then went into class.

After school, she went to the library committee to see if Saori needed anything, when she didn't, she hurried off to the Iwatodai strip mall. She passed the glorious Hagakure ramen, and went up the stairs to the small, junky Beef Bowl Shop. No matter how good the food smelled, or whom she was meeting, it was still just the Beef Bowl Shop. He was standing outside waiting for her.

"What are you making that face for?" Akihiko demanded. "I like this shop!"

"I know… it's like the ghetto version of Hagakure, though."

"What? No way, stop."

"It's the McDonalds to my Red Lobster—"

"Well, too bad—I'm paying, so we eat where I want to eat."

"Is that so?" She grinned, amused by his retort. "I guess, I can't complain to free food!"

" _Sempai!"_

Akihiko frowned and looked over her shoulder. There were two girls approaching them fervently. Ezi had recognized them from the school; they were from that group that always fond over Akihiko, but they didn't have on their uniforms anymore.

"Sempai!" One of the girls said, squeakily. Ezi recognized her from Student Council, the girl with the buns.

"I can't believe we pumped into you here!"

"Oh, hi… do I, know you?" He asked honestly.

"We've talked before at school, of course." The other girl said. "This is your favorite place huh?"

The girl with the buns laughed loudly. "You come here all the time, that's so funny!"

"Huh?" Akihiko shrunk. "H-how is that, funny?"

"You should totally come eat with us!"

Ezi swallowed. The thought of eating with them was, repulsive. Akihiko was straight-forward, so he might say no.

He leaned in towards Ezi. "Sorry, my friend and I already have plans." He said politely, and she smiled inwardly.

"Aw, but can't we chat a little before you go?" They hadn't moved from the entrance, blocking their way, and they seemed to dart glances at her.

Ezi felt awkward; these girls really liked Akihiko.

"Excuse us." He pulled Ezi along with him by the shoulders, slinking passed them and the door. They glared with terrible grimaces at Ezi, and it struck her, in an unusual way.

They ordered the special and sat at the bar table. "Those girls were acting strange," Akihiko said.

Even though Ezi couldn't stand girls that were as bubbly as they were, and also, jealous, they were at least trying to be with Akihiko, but she had gotten in their way.

She sighed. "Um, sorry, a-about earlier—"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I usually avoid being caught in the crossfire, but those girls really like you, they wanted to hangout with you, but because I'm here, you felt obligated to stay with me instead. Not like you won't get another chance with them, but…. My bad."

"Obligated?" He chuckled. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, don't you maybe—or-or, haven't you ever considered dating before? They seemed to want to do that with you, so…"

"What? You're like that too, Ezi-san? You actually think about, y'know… dating?"

She thought about her talk with Rio. Maybe even strong people needed someone.

"Well, not really. I mean, I have bigger things to worry about then dating someone right now,"

"Oh, so then, I guess it's not true."

"What's not true?"

"Oh, uh, n-nothing." He said. "So, you were upset we didn't invite those girls to eat with us? Look, if I had wanted to eat with them, which I definitely did not, I would have had them join us, so don't worry about it."

"Okay, I was just making sure… I didn't want to get in the way of anything like that for you."

"Don't worry about it." He assured her. "I feel like we've become friends. I wanted to hangout with you today."

He said things so nicely when he meant it. She paused for a moment, tapping the glass of the salt shaker. "So sempai, if you weren't into those girls, then what is your type?"

"W-why are you asking me that?"

She shrugged. "It's just a question. I asked Junpei the same thing, and he said "hot" girl was his type." She laughed at this.

"Darn Junpei," Akihiko stammered, "he told me that when a girl says that, I'm supposed to say something like 'girls like you', but that's just a pick up line!"

She laughed more, feeling relieved. "I guess we should both stop listening to Junpei, then."

He smiled, relieved as well, "Yeah. Come on, l-let's dig in and head back to the dorm, we can go to Tartarus tonight."

.

In this fashion, they went to Tartarus again at midnight, and then school, and another night of Tartarus. It had become much easier, in physical feat and strategy, to continue the routine with Fuuka as their guide. On one day after school, she visited the old couple in the shop, and Mitsuko was crying.

"What's wrong?" Ezi cried.

"Ezi-san is here, honey. No need to be sad."

"I'm not!" The old woman wafted at her irritable husband. "These are tears of joy, can't you tell?"

"What happened?"

"I went to the school to see the tree. Some of our sons old classmates were there, getting a petition together to keep the tree."

"No way! The gods our on our side!" Bunkichi exclaimed. "Ezi… you didn't have anything to do with this, did you?"

"Sort of. I met a teacher who helped contact them."

"I knew it! You're not like your other classmates! So kind-hearted to us old folk!"

Bunkichi was grateful for Ezi's involvement, and he gave her fresh lemon bread and soft drinks. She decided to visit the little girl, Maiko, at the shrine and share the snack with her, since she needed some peace and quiet. But…

Maiko was wailing when she got to the shrine, only as a little child could.

" **My parents are going to get a divorce and forget my birthdayyyy!"**

"Calm down! Have some bread."

Maiko gave a few whimpers of protest as she stuffed her face, calming down.

"Maiko, It'll be okay. Parents split up all the time."

"But, what did I do? How come they don't want to be together with me?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. They just don't love each other anymore."

"What?" She was about to bring the waterworks again.

"B-but that doesn't mean they both still don't love you!"

"Oh… but if they split up, who will I live with?"

"Maybe you can visit both of them. I'm not sure, Maiko."

"How do people just fall out of love?" Maiko asked desperately, and suddenly Ezi felt as curious as the child did. Maybe all this drama was why she couldn't possibly fall in love.

"I'm not sure, dear. Wanna go play on the swings?"

They mingled on the jungle gym for a moment to get Maiko's mind off of things, and she talked about other things like her friends and cram school, and somehow roped Ezi into visiting her again at the shrine so they could play another day.

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.

Junpei yawned, but otherwise everyone seemed ready for Tartarus. She went to the Velvet Room inside the first floor to look over the Persona she had gained so far, but Theo was standing in the way.

"Hey? Everything okay?" She could see Igor was still sitting behind him.

"Ah, yes. I am afraid I have some news, though."

"News?"

"It seems a person had wandered into Tartarus before you got here. Apparently this person is an acquaintance of yours, too."

"What? You mean someone's stuck up there, the way Fuuka was?"

"Correct."

"Well, where are they? What floor?"

"I can sense them somewhere on the next few floors you have not ventured in yet."

"Well, what should we do?"

"Find them. I regret to say, well…"

"Spill it, Theo!"

"It would seem as the Apathy cases grow, so are the chances of someone getting lost in Tartarus from your island."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. However, I will assist you anyway I can. From now on, I will call you when someone enters Tartarus and is lost, so that you may find them before they are lost forever."

"Okay… thank you, Theo. We should hurry!"

The team assembled, and began their exploration of the purple halls again, with Ezi's clarification that they needed to find a wandering human that night.

"Ezi-san… I hate to ask again," Fuuka spoke to her from the first floor, through her Persona, "but, are you sure there's a missing person between those floors? I haven't been able to sense anything yet."

 _Yes, the grey-skinned man from the Velvet Room called me and told me there was_ , she wanted to say.

"I'm certain! Ever since you wandered in, other people who are awake during the Dark Hour have been wandering through as well."

"Well, okay…" She sounded worried, ye Fuuka of little faith. They were pestered by some small Shadows, and it made Ezi worry about the poor soul that was there with them even more.

"There's someone on this floor! I can sense him!" Fuuka cried out.

"Okay, let's split up and look for him!" Ezi decided. Unfortunately, it was one of the bigger floors, and they had to scour many corners and fight several small Shadow on their own paths, as they searched for the missing person.

"We found him!" Akihiko was referring to himself and Mitsuru on the ear buds.

"Great, who is it?" Ezi had stopped running to listen to their response.

"It's an old man… wait, I've seen him before…"

"From the Iwatodai strip mall." Mitsuru added.

"An old man, from the mall? No way… Bunkichi-san?" Ezi said aloud.

"Ezi-san, do you know him?" Yukari asked from her end.

"I think so… is he okay?"

"He's a bit weak. We're heading to the stairs since we haven't found a portal on this floor yet."

"Copy that." Ezi felt a pain in her chest. Bunkichi, the old man she had seen just that afternoon, was in Tartarus. Was this somehow her fault?

Fuuka was making strange mumbling noises. Ezi decided to get back with everyone else, trying to remember where she had come from to get back to the stairway for the floor below.

"Fuuka? Do you sense anyone else here?" Ezi asked her.

"Not yet! I didn't sense the old man until Akihiko and Mitsuru were very close to him. S-sorry, it must be me, because I'm not used to sensing as much as Mitsuru was."

"But you're still good at it, Fuuka." Yukari encouraged. "Well, let's regroup and head out with him using the portal downstairs! Being on an empty floor now is giving me the creeps!"

"Hey, guys? I'm kind of lost." Junpei chuckled.

"I'll guide you all—" Fuuka cut off.

"Hey, everything good?" Ezi ran and turned corners like she knew where she was going, but her mind was just racing on tiredness.

"Everyone-! _Run_! Get out of there!" Fuuka's voice waned to them.

"Fuuka? What's wrong?" Ezi stopped running.

"Mitsuru-san and Akihiko returned with the old man! But they said it's not safe!"

"What's not safe?"

"Ezi!" Yukari came dashing through the hallway. "We gotta go, now!"

"Yukari?" The adrenaline from running had morphed into extreme anxiety. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later; we have to find Junpei!" She scoffed. "I knew we were on this floor too long!"

" _Death!"_

Ezi wasn't sure she had understood what Fuuka had just said.

"Fuuka?"

"Death is coming! I sense it! You all need to leave!"

Yukari grabbed Ezi by the hand. "Come on!"

She could feel her heart pulsating in her steps. Everything slowed down.

Death? How could that be? She didn't understand it, but it made her feel helpless.

Junpei was suddenly in front of them, and he had an old woman wrapped over his shoulder beside him. Ezi realized whatever was coming was going to catch them soon.

"Head for the stairs, both of you." Ezi helped Junpei lift her up. Mitsuko, the old woman, groaned in pain and weariness as she arose. "Yukari, help him!"

"What are you gonna do, Ezi?" She demanded.

"I'll distract it. Head for the stairs, like I said!"

"Ezi, you can't fight it!" Yukari insisted.

"I won't. I'll just keep it focused on me. Go!"

They split up again, and she was running in no apparent direction.

"Be careful! I sense Death is nearby! Ezi-san…"

"Fuuka, where is it?"

"I-I don't know exactly!"

"Try to focus! I need to find it before it finds us!"

"Alright, I'll do my best!" Fuuka sat in silence, and Ezi waited with heavy breaths as she tracked down this thing.

"The stairs! It's approaching from there! Go back to it before the others walk right into it! I'll let them know!"

Ezi sprinted with all of her energy back to the stairway.

She halted again when she could hear it: chains dragging on the floor.

They scraped loudly, and Ezi knew it was just in the hall adjacent to her. She stepped back slowly as the sound grew. Her heart stopped when the shadow of the thing stretched along the wall across the perpendicular hallway, until it was floating there, its head almost touching the tall, tall ceiling.

It had a black cloak, encircled by chains around its long torso from either shoulder. It held two long barrel revolvers in both gloved hands, and its head was incased in a whitish, red sack. It had one white eye that swiveled around until it was fixated on her. Its body twitched and fluttered as it glided slowly towards her. The agonizing pace of it was what was so horrifying to her. All the Shadows she had fought before couldn't wait to pounce. But this thing, whatever it was, was deathly slow before it struck.

It raised one barrel to fire, but Ezi moved to the end of the hall and turned the corner before the explosive bullet could reach. She flew into the next hall from the impact of the explosion, and the side of her body whacked into the next wall. She scrambled onto her feet as she could see it approaching, and just ran, never looking back.

"Ezi! The others made it safely to the stairway. You need to get off that floor as well!"

How? She thought. The stairway was in the direction where Death was coming from.

"Fuuka! Is there a green teleporter around?"

"Give me a second! I'll find it!" She said. Ezi kept running, her legs were twitching from exhaustion.

"There! Head down this hall, then turn left twice, than up right!"

It was easy to follow the directions. The chains were right behind her; she couldn't afford to go the wrong way. She tapped on the green teleporter, just as it fired again, and she toppled and rolled into the first floor.

"Thank goodness!"

"Hey, you alright?" Akihiko asked.

Ezi sat up, out of breath. "That…was…"

"I'm glad you're alright, Leon-san." Mitsuru folded her arms. "Fuuka, thank you for being able to sense the Reaper."

Junpei retorted first. "Reaper? W-what the hell was that thing? All guns and barrels! I've never seen a Shadow so big…"

"Akihiko and I have seen it before, a long time ago, just when we had started using our powers. We were on the second floor too long, practicing our Persona's abilities when I sensed it. We call it the Reaper. Our Personas didn't even have any time to be summoned before it attacked us. I was petrified with fear… I could sense its power was greater than anything we would or will ever face. And there was the feeling of its presence…"

"Yes," Fuuka added, "Just now, Lucia spoke to me when it appeared on that floor. She was just screaming 'death', over and over again—I-it frightened me for a moment."

"You did fine, Fuuka." Yukari patted her shoulder. "It's not your fault that thing suddenly appeared."

"Apparently that thing shows up when a Persona user has been on one floor too long, like it's pressing us to move on…" Akihiko looked to the two unconscious old people behind him. "Sorry, I sort of forgot about it."

"You sort of forgot?" Junpei bellowed. "T-that thing almost got us!"

"I know. It's been a while since we've seen it, but you are right. I should have informed you all of it during briefing." Mitsuru admitted. Yukari was not amused.

"Well, it's over now…" Ezi looked over at the old couple. "How come they were in Tartarus?"

"It's possible the Shadows called to them, like we saw with Natsuki. If you don't have a Persona, you can be easily manipulated." Mitsuru explained. "Still, I'm glad they are okay. I'm glad we're okay."

"I have sensed Shadows weaknesses before, but that Reaper thing…" Fuuka continued, "it was like, all hope had been drained, any possibility of victory was completely gone. You can't win against it."

"Has it ever, you know, shown up on this floor?" Ezi asked Mitsuru.

"No. Like I said, it's only appeared inside the labyrinth, like a guardian, when you're on one floor for a long time. That seems to be the pattern."

"Then, we'll be careful, next time." Ezi had so many questions, but she was too tired to think about it. Mitsuru assured them she would find the couple's residency using her resources and they would be returned safely.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

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.

The next morning she thought of the dragging chains from the Reaper. They had to start preparing the next exams before their summer break, so school kept her mind preoccupied. She had to go see how the old couple was doing after school.

Junpei intercepted her in their classroom.

"Hey! I'm kinda hungry… want to go see if they have the special on sale at Hagakure?"

It was an innocent question, but one of the girls in the class was listening as she packed up her books.

"I can't—I want to see the old couple at the bookstore."

"You gotta eat too, right? Its in the same complex. We can go check on 'em, and then we can eat. My treat."

"Well, since you're paying…" She grinned. "Let's go."

When they reached the strip mall, Junpei went on ahead to order the food, and Ezi went to the bookstore by herself.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite Gekkoukan student!" Bunkichi was cheery, and it brought her relief.

"Are you two okay?"

"What do you mean, dear?" Mitsuko asked, worriedly.

"No reason." She recalled those without Persona's to sustain their souls during the Dark Hour had memory loss, the way Natsuki and her friends had lost their memories.

"Uh, I just wondered how the petition was going."

"I think they're going to cut the tree down anyway." She said quietly.

"No! After all of your hard work…"

"Its okay, dear." Mitsuko smiled gently. "I think we have decided we are okay with this."

"But, your son's favorite tree?"

"Its just a tree!" Bunkichi decided. "There's hundreds more beautiful ones on this island."

"Yes. Our son loved that tree, but I think he also would have wanted another part of the school to be built, where more students would have an opportunity to learn about the world, and all of its splendor."

Ezi beamed. "You guys are amazing. Yes, I think he would like that too."

"Thank you for all of your help though, Ezi-chan!" Bunkichi gave her a thumb-up. "I'm so happy, I could give you a ton of books for free!"

"Really?"

"But, we have to make money somehow, especially since we're going on vacation for a few weeks."

"Oh, good! You guys take good care of this place, you deserve a break! But, who will I buy books from when you're gone?"

"You'll figure something out! But if you need anything, even to just stop by for a chat, we'll be here."

She said her goodbyes to the old couple, Bunkichi and Mitsuko, then joined Junpei in the Hagakure Ramen Shop. The specials were already at the bar table when she sat next to him.

"How were they?" He asked.

"Good! They didn't remember anything. It feels weird, like I'm lying to them, but its for the best. Oh well, let's dig in!"

"I'm glad you're okay after that encounter with the Reaper."

"It was just a big Shadow…"

"You seem to be in high spirits, like always." He seemed relieved for some reason.

"What do you mean?" She slurped some noodles. Junpei hesitated to speak.

"Wait, so you haven't heard? I guess I shouldn't bring it up."

"Well, you have to now, duh."

"Okay, okay. I'll tell you. Don't get mad at me, okay?"

Now, she really wanted to know.

She looked directly at him. "Tell me."

"Supposedly, there's some photos of you going around."

"What?"

"They're not weird or anything! They're just of you in your gym clothes. You're centered in all of them, so I think whoever took them was aiming for you specifically."

"Oh," she pondered this, "that's disturbing, and annoying."

"Yeah, seriously. I mean, school is public, but these photos make it seem like someone's peeping on you. One of the guys in 2-E found them in the boys locker room. I took the copies, but original's could still be out there." He looked troubled.

"Wow, thank you." She was trying to process this, some stalker capturing photos of her in her rather revealing gym clothes she didn't like wearing in the first place.

"Still, you must be really popular. This kind of thing isn't normal, you know. I'll have to find who it was and kick his ass if this were to happen again."

"My hero. Really, I appreciate it. You're probably right, though. I mean, maybe it was just one time." She chuckled and ate her noodles.

"…Seriously though, be carful, alright?" He seemed generally concerned for her wellbeing. "Well, don't worry about the picture too much. I'll think about it more than you, since you have a lot of your plate already. I mean, why would someone want photos for anyway-"

"Stop right there." She shook her head, to avoid any mental imagery.

"Oh, my bad. Never mind." He chuckled.

She felt awkward for a moment. Someone else was trying to protect her; had her back. She liked the feeling, but it seemed too close to the feeling of helplessness as well.

.

.

When the weekend came, she went to the Velvet Room to find some more answers. She fulfilled a few of his quests, and now he seemed to have another one.

"…The Iwatodai station?" Ezi was talking to Theo in the Velvet Room.

"Yes, since I quite enjoyed our time from the mall, would you guide me there? I hear they sell interesting foods and there is even a place where you can view moving pictures."

"You managed to use a phone but you don't know what a movie is?"

"Hm?"

"N-nothing," Ezi hesitated. What if people saw him? He sort of stood out… then again, she could come up with some story if she happened to see anyone she knew. "Okay, do you want to go now?"

"N-now?"

"Sure."

"Hm, a-alright."

They strolled out of the compendium room. "I'll keep him in one piece, Igor." Ezi waved goodbye to him, but the long-nosed old man said nothing.

They took the bullet train, and Theo couldn't stop exclaiming about the view, sitting on his knees and pressing his face against the glass like a child.

"Hey, Theo, I had a question about the Shadows, if you could answer." They hopped off the train, heading towards the stairs.

"What information did you need?"

"Well, the last big Shadows we fought could change their arcanas, and they could change their abilities too. Do you think that's the strongest a Shadow can get? I mean, I would like to think we didn't have to worry about Shadows with even more power than that."

"Hmmm," He pondered this, "I am not certain. You yourself can change arcanas practically because you can change which persona you would like to use in battle, so you may not have to worry about that."

"I'm not worried about myself, but my friends did get beat up quite a bit in the last battle,"

"Ah, you are concerned for your friends? How thoughtful."

"Also, what about the Reaper? Is it a Shadow, or what?"

"I believe it is. It is similar to ancient human history involving a creature that takes souls with a scythe, but in this case, it only does so inside of Tartarus, when a fitted soul has been there too long. It is one of the most powerful Shadows ever, not something you could dream of defeating at your current state." He sounded wispy.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Theo stopped walking. He took one look at the escalator and gulped.

"Ah! I have heard of these escalators before, that move on their own…" He tried to sound brave, but he could not step onto it. "Um…"

"We could try the stairs, if you're scared." Ezi suggested.

"N-no no! I am not worried… this should be… fun. Here." He gently grabbed Ezi's hand. "I will escort you on." He followed Ezi's foot movement and hopped onto the stairs, grumbling in worry. "T-these are rather slow."

"Yeah, when I was kid, I would run up and down them all the time." Ezi admitted. She enjoyed watching him scramble and leap off the escalator once they reached the lower floor.

"Ah-ha! Piece of cake!" Theo said, but he was still squeezing her hand for support. "O-oh, sorry." He let go and stared at the glorious, filthy spectacle that was the station.

"There's the theater, and the Takoyaki stand, and the bookstore," Ezi began leading him around, showing him everything. Ezi suggested a movie, but Theo was more dazzled by the takoyaki stand and its aroma.

The exuberant lady that owned the stand greeted them.

"Ohhh you like the smell, huh? You can tell my secret ingredient just by the scent? Here, this squid is so delicious it'll make your cheeks fall off!"

"What?" Theo gasped. "Make one's cheeks fall off?"

"Thanks!" Ezi purchased the food on a stick and gave Theo his own to try.

"It's just an expression, your cheeks will be fine." She told him.

"O-oh, then I suppose I shall give it a go…" He nibbled into the crispy treat, finding it quite delicious. "This is splendid! This is why one's cheeks would fall off, then?" He was still confused by the phrase, Ezi supposed. He pinched his cheek, finding it intact, and with a worried expression, he grabbed Ezi's cheek and pinched it.

"Hey!" She exclaimed.

"Thank goodness, you are still alright," he said, relieved. "Oh, that hurt, didn't it? I am sorry." He reached for her again, this time, caressing the cheek he had enflamed. She looked up at his handsome features, and he was looking at hers, with great sincerity. It caught her off guard.

"P-personal space!" She turned away from him, strolling on. He had no concept of anything, Ezi decided, that's why he didn't think of how odd feeling her cheek was. It was a touch of concern, not intimacy, she thought.

They stood in front of the Wild-Duck Burger as Theo speculated the cell phone strap shaped like an octopus that the Tokayaki girl gave him.

"It's just a trinket, can we keep walking?" She asked. He put the chain in his pocket and smiled. "Do you even need that? You don't have a phone… or maybe you do, since you've called me before."

"Ah, indeed and I have. Would this be considered a souvenir of my time with you?"

"Oh?" More weird questions. "Yeah, you could say that, if you want to keep it."

"How unfortunate… I've acquired something precious to me."

"I think you're getting words mixed up there, Theo."

"Not at all, this is your fault you know."

"It's my fault you have something precious?"

"Yes! One only acquires items with personal feelings attached, correct? That's why I can't allow you to have this."

Her cheeks were hot. She had thought she had not seen any cars, but she had placed one foot on the road, and suddenly a yellow cab was a few feet away, zooming towards her. She snapped back into awareness, and stepped back onto the sidewalk, but Theo had already lifted her from the waist, and spun her around back onto the sidewalk next to him.

"You should be aware of your surroundings. Do not get so lost in thought." He said.

"H-how did you know I was..?" She shook her head. "Uh, thank you."

"Of course! After all, you are a very honorable guest. If anything were to happen to you…"

She looked up at him. He was probably just being polite.

"…E-especially while I am present! It would not be good of me to not take care of our guest."

After they ate, they went to a movie. An American action sci-fi about blue people. The cgi was amazing, and even though Ezi tried to get into it, she had to explain things to Theo every second of the movie.

"That was truly an amazing feature presentation!" Theo said. "The battling, the controversies, the romance…" He stammered. "Your world has amazing creativity."

"It was good, wasn't it? Usually movies lately have been cliché, but this was really something!"

It was dark now, and they headed back towards the Paulownia mall by train. They talked mostly about the movie, and Ezi explained to him the process of making films like that for entertainment; they weren't based on true stories. Upon arrival in front of the velvet room, Theo bowed with his hand on his arm as he usually did, and they departed.

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.

.

The next day for school, Mr. Edigawa, the nerdy health teacher, was rambling more than necessary, like usual.

"Ezi-san, what formed the origins of magic?" He asked her suddenly.

"Oh—Shamanism, right?"

"Very good, you'll be born into your next life as a human again…"

 _If you believe such things_ , she thought. Being reborn. There was probably more than one way of performing this. She could be a somebody in one place, and then suddenly, a nobody in another, or vise-versa.

On her way out of school that day, she overheard some students speaking in front of her.

"The Kirijo group was on the news today."

"So?"

"So, that's the name of our Student Council president! I didn't know her family was so in charge of things… apparently, they built this high school too."

A business group created a school? She thought about Yukari's previous concerns. There were things about Mitsuru even Ezi was worried about sometimes… maybe she was hiding something after all.

She caught Mitsuru in the staff hallway, a fast encounter—

"Leon-san, fancy seeing you here." She seemed to stop walking to notice her.

"Sempai." If she wanted to know more about her, maybe she should do what she had been doing with the other members: building a relationship with them. "A-are you free right now? Wanna grab some food before heading to the dorm?"

"I'm afraid I have other things to attend to, but maybe you could ask Yamagishi-san."

Fuuka had joined their team. They had spoken a bit, but this was a good idea. "Alright. Maybe next time."

She went towards 2-E and saw Fuuka in the hallway, holding a boxed lunch and flustered as usual.

"Hey girl!" She ran up to her, probably to startle her for fun.

"Oh, Ezi-san! H-how are you?"

"Good! Wanna get some grub?"

"Actually, I was going to do some studying in the empty economics room."

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea… I'm kind of hungry, though."

"Here!" She held the box out. "Y-you can share this with me! I made it myself."

"Okay, let's go."

They reached the room and took their things out. It was nice to be able to study with someone. The empty room reminded her of Bebe.

"You said you were hungry? Try this!" Fuuka opened the box—the smell was deadly— "I made it myself!"

She tried to be sensitive.

"Um…" She looked at the cold vegetables, and some kind of twisted meat with green sauce on it that made it look unpleasant. She took the plastic chopsticks and took a small piece of the meat and green food.

It tasted worse than it smelled, she couldn't even chew it. The meat was hard and the rice was stale, and the green sauce flavoring tested funny. How could someone mess up so much food?

"H-how is it?" She asked timidly.

She thought to lie, but they were on the same team.

"…It's not quite right…"

"Oh, uh, I-I see… well then, thank you for your honesty."

"Sorry… Uh, you like to cook?"

"Yes! In fact, did you notice the chalk board?" Ezi looked up to see it said 'Cooking Club'.

"Ta-dah! I made the club myself!"

"Really? That actually sounds like a useful class. You know, we don't ever have decent meals at the dorm."

"Well, I like to cook things so I can save money. I am actually the only member so far, but this room is available two days out of the week." She lowered her head, contemplating. "Uh, the reason I had you try that so suddenly was because I wanted you to join as well."

"Me?"

"I don't understand a thing in these cookbooks, but maybe you could help me get better at cooking…. Uh, Natsuki said I should do things I love to do."

"Are you guys friends again?"

"Y-yeah. She doesn't remember me saving her, but somehow it feels like that doesn't matter. She knows I've always wanted to be her friend, and she's treating me right now."

"That's good, Fuuka."

"Well, I won't pressure you too much into joining if you're too busy—I know you're very smart and have a lot of responsibilities. I've seen you lead everyone in Tartarus, after all."

"And, you chose me to join?"

"Of course!"

Ezi was flattered. "Yeah, I can meet you here when I can to make and try some of your food."

"Would you really? That would be incredible! Thank you so much!"

The girls finished studying and headed home to their dorm. Fuuka's quiet spirit was in a sense unnerving, as she was also the seer of their travels to an unknown time, cleansing all the dark creatures from their path with her knowledge, sort of like a **Priestess**.

The next day, Mitsuru interrupted their lunch in class to inform them the Chairman was going to meet them in the Command Room after school. Curious of what he had to say, Yukari and Ezi and Junpei left together to get back to the dorm. Fuuka was outside on the steps training a beautiful wolf-like dog without a collar.

"Koro-chan, give me your paw." She ordered.

"Woof!" The dog placed its light grey paw in her hand.

"Good boy!"

"Oh, he did it!" Yukari added. "What a smart doggy!"

"Dang, I need to get me a dog. The girls seem to flock to them." Junpei decided.

"Koromaru, go say hi! You can do that, right, boy?" As Fuuka spoke, the dog nuzzled Ezi. "I've seen him sitting by the steps at the shrine."

A woman in an apron was walking by. Ezi was used to seeing those with Apathy stalk down the sidewalk, but this woman seemed like just a nosy neighbor.

"That dog! He still walks this way, huh?" The lady stopped and talked to them.

"Whaddyah mean?" Yukari asked.

"That dog used to belong to the priest, but he passed away… that dog goes to the site he was hit by a car every so often, and still takes where they used to, I guess."

"Oh, how sad." Ezi frowned. Koromaru was clearly loyal, and lonely.

"What a good boy you are, Koromaru-chan!" Fuuka rubbed his neck intensely, and he wagged his tail.

"He seems to be doing alright, though. He is so friendly, and people give him food. His home is the shrine, for now. Anyway, I have to go pick up my son, see you!" The woman left.

"Ah, shouldn't we be going in to? The Chairman is coming by, right?"

"You're right, Fuuka. Let's go!" Yukari and Fuuka stood up to head in.

"W-what about Koromaru? We can't leave the poor guy here alone!"

"He is a very independent doggy." Fuuka assured.

"Yeah, besides, there are no pets allowed in the dorms. Let's go."

The girls had a snack with Junpei while they waited for everyone. Then in the dormitory command room, Ikutsuki-san made his announcement to the SEES once everyone was gathered.

"Hello everyone! I wanted to let you know how my research has been going. This concerns the Shadows that have been appearing during the full moons."

"Great! What'd you find out?" Ezi was excited.

"Shadows can be classified based on their abilities, or arcana, and we've known this for a while. I was able to classify the last ones you have seen so far—You have all faced one through four, out of the twelve large Shadows that will appear during a full moon."

"Is that something to get excited about?" Junpei asked, confused more than he led on.

"Oh, I see." Fuuka nodded. "There are 12 Shadows, and the team has fought four… There are eight we have not seen yet."

"That's right Fuuka! You're very sharp!"

"Okay, so there's 12 big Shadows… but, what are they after?" Junpei asked.

"We haven't figured that out yet. The don't kill their victims. They feed on their minds. Is there an underlying intent behind their behavior? The purpose of these Shadows as a whole is what we need to consider."

"This is interesting." Akihiko added. "But, no matter what, we still have to beat the rest of them."

"I agree." Mitsuru jumped in. "We only have one action to consider: defeating the remaining Shadows that appear."

"8 more, huh? Lucky use." Yukari grumbled.

"According to this data, each one has been stronger than the last, so we better start training even harder." Fuuka realized.

"What about Tartarus itself though? Why does it even exist?" Yukari wondered, frustratingly.

"Yeah! If we knew more origin stuff, maybe that would help." Ezi sighed. Mitsuru turned her head down and sighed also, and Ezi and Yukari both noticed it seemed forced. The pieces were falling together, one by one. Ezi wondered what the purpose was of the Shadows that appeared every full moon. Eight more remained… They still had a ways to go. Maybe, this would reveal the key to her lost memories as well. It couldn't all be a coincidence.

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That night, 3 conscious people awoke a teenager from his coffin in the outskirts. They shot and killed them, then left the way they came, claiming to be apart of a revenge website, that obviously hunted defenseless people during the Dark Hour.

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Ezi had asked Akihiko if he wanted to grab food after school, and while he had wanted to ask her something, he had something he needed to take care of.

He went to the Beef Bowl Shop, and ordered the special, same as what the boy in the maroon pea coat next to him had.

"Don't you get tired of eating the same stuff?"

"You a always eat that protein shit." Shinjiro retorted.

"We have 4 new members since you were with us. We are much more aggressive now."

"I ain't interested."

"Come on, Shinji! Don't let your power go to waste."

"I'm not interested in joining your damn crew. Don't ask me again."

"Why can't you let go of the past?"

"If anything, its you who can't let go."

"Wait-"

Shinjiro stood up and turned to go, leaving his unfinished bowl there. Akihiko cursed himself for failing again, then he ate his food and went home.

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Since she had been rejected, Ezi caught up with Rio, and it was just the two of them at basketball practice when they were interrupted.

Yuko from the soccer team, and Kenji, one of Rio's classmates, walked into the gym towards them.

"Well, it looks lively in here." Yuko said. She was a tawny girl with short blackish blue hair she always had up in a ponytail.

Ezi grinned. "Heyyyy Yuko!"

"Heyyy Ezi!" For some reason, Yuko and Ezi had decided to be silly with one another when they spoke.

"Hey kiddos," Kenji said, "is Ms. Kanou here?"

"The sponsored coach?" Rio said, bitterly. "She's never here, I'm basically in charge."

"Of course she isn't here! Ms. Kanou has more adult things to deal with, not this child stuff."

"Child stuff?" Ezi echoed.

"Heh, I-I was just joking," Kenji withdrew, "anyway, I bought these tickets for her like she asked, so I was hoping she was here…"

"Tickets?" Rio sounded discouraged.

"Uh, Kenji, isn't she just using you?"

"No way!"

Yuko cleared her throat. "Well, I was hoping Kaz was in here for some reason, so if he's not…" She strolled out, sensing tension.

"Why do you hang out with her? Isn't it inappropriate to hang out with a teacher as much as much as you do?" Rio stated.

"Do you like Ms. Kanou?" Ezi asked, jokingly, but Kenji blushed.

"Well, I-I like older girls, so…I don't know, love just happens!"

"You do?" Rio sounded even more upset, Ezi could tell.

"Um, you shouldn't furrow your cute face like that, Rio," Kenji said, changing the subject.

"B-b-but, you can't say something like that to me!"

"Why not? We've been friends forever, it's okay to say that." He shrugged. "Anyway, if she's not here, I better get going. See you guys!"

…Rio was quiet. She finished stretching in silence.

"…Ezi, does love just happen?" She finally said.

Ezi shrugged. "Looks that way, although, I'm not certain…"

"Heh," she choked, "S-so you don't know either, huh?"

"No…" She felt bad, knowing Rio loved somebody who didn't love her back. "H-hey, let's do some drills, then call it a day."

"Okay, sounds good." Rio tried to perk up, and they did a few drills before calling off the short practice. Ezi completed a request for Theo, and they explored Tartarus that night, but Yukari could not attend.

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At lunch the next day, she was thinking about Yukari's disdain towards Mitsuru. The senior was frustrating her as well—she wasn't making it easy for anyone to get close to her, unlike Akihiko. Even though he seemed to have a hard time expressing himself explicitly, at least he seemed to genuinely care.

Thinking of whom, Akihiko approached her before she reached her classroom. It was possible some of the onlookers around them observed, for some reason.

"Ezi-san…" He sounded distant.

"Hey," she looked to the right—some girls scurried away, a boy too—"is everything okay?"

"Er… I have something I wanted to ask you."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Well…. I'm sorry. My mind is just stirring, never mind."

"What?" The lunch bell ring.

"I have to get to class…"

"Akihiko-sempai, I'm going to ask you about it after school today."

He nodded, and left quickly. After school they walked home together, and they discussed how their training was going.

"We were supposed to be running buddies! I guess we got too busy."

"Oh. Y-yeah." Akihiko seemed to be walking quickly. Maybe he didn't want to talk, but she had to know. He was quiet as they stood in front of the dorm.

"…All we did on the way here was talk about our school day in detail, awkwardly," Ezi pointed out, "why did you want to talk to me earlier?"

"Um, don't get mad, okay? You don't even have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Spill it, boy!"

"I-is it true that you and Junpei are dating now?"

…She had to find a clever way to react to this.

"Well?"

"Yes, we're insanely in love with each other. I just love his perverted humor and goatee."

"S-seriously?"

Ezi laughed. "No way! Are you joking? I couldn't even see that happening between us!" She continued to chuckle. "We're just friends!" She settled down, though, when she saw he was still grimacing. "Oh… sorry, is that what you were so concerned about?"

"Yeah… man, I'm the worst. I listened to a rumor, let alone think that it was true. It's just, I've seen you two hangout together a lot, and the other day you went to the movies together…what an idiot I am."

She raised her arms up to her chest and waved them. "No-no! Don't get the wrong idea, sempai."

He pursed his lips, but said nothing.

"Uh, really it's okay. I mean I didn't even go with Junpei yesterday, just some… girlfriends." It was easier to say that than to say she went with a servant from the Velvet Room. "We just happened to return to the dorm at the same time. And, I'm glad you confronted me about it instead of just assuming the rumor was true. That's a good thing."

"Still, I'm sorry. If I hear them talking again, I'll set them straight, 'tell them that's not true."

"Don't worry about it. People have been talking about me since I got here; what's it gonna do to me?" She wisped her hand over her forehead. "Oh no! Someone's gossiping about me! I don't have any confidence now to save lives during the Dark Hour!"

Akihiko laughed at her dramatic acting. "Yeah, I guess that's true, huh? Sorry for worrying."

"It's okay, you don't have to worry!" She grinned. "I'm totally focused on the Dark Hour, I'm not dating or distracted by anything right now."

"Huh?"

"That is why you were having such a hard time asking me about the rumor today, right? You have a tougher time with confrontation than Mitsuru-sempai does!"

"Oh, y-yeah! That's right. I guess I talk better with action than words." He said.

"Well, let's put this behind us? I would like to be as focused tonight as ever while we venture into Tartarus; these Shadows just seem to be getting stronger and stronger!"

He held a confident smirk on his face. "Yeah, let's do it. Oh, did you want to go get some food? Well, I guess we're already at the dorm."

"That's okay. I'm craving something spicy!"

"Yeah, spicy sounds good." He smiled gently. She wondered if their conversation could have gone in another direction, then they walked on to get food.

That night, Yukari took her concerns to action. She kept quiet, even to Ezi, about her plans, so there would be no rumors of her agenda. She recruited Fuuka to gather information on incidents that had happened at Gekkoukan High related to the Kirijo Group, in order to find the ultimate truth about the Shadows.

TO BE CONTINUED

I may just not split the chapters up. Sorry if they're too long for you, but I had this planned out a while ago! I may break them up again when Shinjiro joins the team because those chapters are extremely long with lots of added detail and goodness ;) Anyway I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if there's anything I can do to make it more awesome or anything I can fix!

Review please!

 _Farewell, my dearest~_


	11. Date 10: Heartbreaks and Hotels

A/N: Another long one! I like the things I inserted in this part a lot. Hopefully, you do too! If not, that's okay ;_;

~Persona 3 Portable~

Date 10:

Heartbreaks and Hotels

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"I don't want to sound like a dick, but Yukari's been kinda bitchy lately."

"You do sound like a dick." Ezi walked with Junpei to school a week before the next full moon.

"Come on! Don't tell me you haven't noticed?"

"She hasn't wanted to go shopping as much, but I coughed it up to that she's busy studying for exams."

"Exams? Don't remind me. Wanna get some food after school? You're buying…"

"Actually," she grimaced, sincerely, "I'm broke as hell."

"Well I tried." He shrugged. They heard some other students talking about Shirakawa Boulevard, and how perverted it was that one of their fellow classmates had supposedly gone there to get some action.

They made it to class together. Mr. Edogawa asked Junpei a question during class and Ezi had to whisper the answer to him so he wouldn't have to stand in the hall again. After class was over, she went to the library and helped Saori sort some books out, then they both studied together. She apologized for not bringing snacks, but she had been trying to save money, which is when Saori mentioned an idea.

"Have you heard of The Tanaka Show?"

"That TV show that sells household goods and other useful items? I've seen it on Sundays in the afternoon."

"Apparently there's an executive that's been making deals with young students to make investments in the program to make more money. He's at the Paulownia mall sometimes."

"That sounds shady… I'll check it out."

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And so she did. After their cram session, she went to the mall, buying a small pastry at the Chagall Café, then sitting down alone by the fountain. She reflected all that had happen, from the revelation of the 12 big Shadows, to the friends and acquaintances she had made, to the illusion of the dark figure she had spotted more than once.

A well-dressed man in a suit, with beady eyes and grey hair slicked to the side, was setting up a stand by the arcade. He had a table, and some flyers, and some heavy packets of paper. Perhaps he had been the man Saori mentioned.

She approached the table. "Good evening."

"Hm," The man sized her up, probably thinking of how charming she would be for the show, "hello there. Hey, you're a student, right? I'm sure you've heard of the Tanaka show, which broadcasts live here on the island sometimes."

"I have heard of it."

"Good… well, I have access to their shares. If you want to make an investment, I guarantee you will be the richest kid in highschool!"

"…Is that so?"

"Yep! Just one investment will grow by the end of this week, I can promise you!"

"Well, what do I have to lose?"

"Great! Hand me 10,000 yen, and you will have your results soon!"

"What?" She roared. "Are you joking? Do I look dumb?"

"Of course not. You look very charming, actually."

"Don't try to flatter me! You got a contract? Some kind of binding agreement I'll get my money's worth?"

"Uh, sure…" He handed her a packet.

"…This is a list of items you guys sell on TV! Do people really fall for this?" She turned around to yell at anyone in the mall. "Hey! This guy is a rip-off artist!"

"Hey, hey! Okay, sorry… so maybe you're not so naïve. Here."

Ezi read the paper of binding agreement to do, something. It had something to do with him being able to use her money for investment purposes, and she would receive full compensation if the deal did not go correctly. She signed the paper, and gave him her dollars.

"Thank you." He said. "I will be letting you know promptly when the investment is done."

She sneered at him. "See that you do let me know." She left to go to the dorm, but she thought maybe she should have asked for a copy of the contract, but she was too tired to go all the way back to the mall.

She fell out and slept well enough until midnight, when in her room a presence appeared.

"Hi. Can you guess what I'm going to tell you?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure…" She nodded.

He chuckled. "You're used to it by now, huh? The next full moon will be in one week."

"I know…" She pondered what the next Shadow would be like.

"Are you prepared? Be careful, okay?"

"Worried about me?" She smiled. "Thank you."

He nodded. "I'll come again." Pharos disappeared.

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That week, there was a story about a revenge website buzzing around the school. When she visited the monk again for research, he told her the victim was only 19 years old. She wondered how long Yukari could keep her distance, and went to several clubs that week: The cooking club, the basketball club, and the library committee.

With only a few days left, they trained even harder in Tartarus. There seemed to be one more large Shadow blocking their path, so one night they decided to face it. They entered the room to see a giant white knight with a rounded partisan, and the horse it rode on had no legs as it floated and charged in their direction. The team had to scatter and surround it. Polydeuces and Hermes quickly used their lightning and fire skills, as there was no solid weakness to use on the Shadow. Mitsuru used her Penthesilea's ice, and Lo used garu. Ezi summoned Take-Minakata, a brown warrior like demon, and it slashed the final blow through the knight's chest, and it vanished.

"You all seem to be growing very much." Fuuka analyzed. "Since the last full moon, I can see it is less of strain for all of you to summon your Personas!"

"I could go up ten more floors!" Junpei bragged.

"Okay, go. I'll wait here and survey." Ezi winked. The next floor had the block they had seen before; bars that sealed the flat pathway up to the next section, and a clock on a poll centering it. The clock hand was almost to midnight. Ezi grabbed a document found on the floor to give to Theo, than they used the teleport access point to return down and finished for the night.

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It was the night of the new moon mission, and Fuuka was using her Persona to search for the large Shadow hidden somewhere on the island. Everyone was there, including the Chairman. Ezi passed out new, more solid weapons to everyone—some she had purchased from Kurosawa, in hopes her investment with Mr. Tanaka would go smoothly, and others were gifts from Theo for completing his requests.

"Any luck, Fuuka?" Akihiko was impatient.

"One moment… I found it! I sense a strong presence!"

"Whoa, we were right!" Junpei realized.

"So far, so good." Ikutsuki-san nodded triumphantly.

"Its locate in Iwatodai… inside a building on Shirakawa Boulevard."

"They have been finding the lost in pairs lately, that's probably why." Ikutsuki pushed his glasses into place.

"Um, I get it." Mitsuru realized.

Fuuka dismissed Lucia. "What's on Shirakawa Boulevard? I'm not familiar with that area."

"Of all the places…" Yukari groaned.

"That's where all of THOSE hotels are. That explains a lot." Junpei inserted with a smirk. "You've heard about them, right Fuuka? Where people go to… yeah know…"

"Oh?"

"That's right! Color coloring pages! That's all they do there." Ezi shrugged.

"You're not helping." Yukari said snidely.

"Nonsense… I'm sure they're no different than ordinary hotels." Ikutsuki insisted. "The rooms are bit fancier, that's all."

"You serious? Come on, there's so many disturbing rumors about that street." Junpei pried.

"M-maybe I shouldn't go." Yukari mumbled, but nosy Junpei heard her.

"Oh? Its okay, Yuka-tan, we understand why you're scared."

"I-I'm not scared, okay? Fine! I'm going into operations for sure! Who's gonna lead?"

"Leon." Mitsuru said quickly. "I don't see any reason to change leaders now. Yamagishi will be our support, and one of us will stay with her for protection while the rest of us deal with operations."

"Understood." Fuuka nodded.

"Alright! Lover's hotel, here we come!" Junpei declared. They all walked quickly to the Shirakawa Boulevard. All of the rich buildings looked like Las Vegas, except that everything was dead and there were no lights. Yukari yapped about how she was going in, no matter what, and since she wasn't getting along with Mitsuru, Ezi had the senior be the protector for Fuuka outside while everyone else went in. They stopped in front of Hotel _Champs de Fluers,_ and the mission began.

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The hotel lobby was pink, elaborated with white Christmas lights and embodied with small golden cupid statues on the wall. Ezi had thought that maybe she should have had Mitsuru come along—if the little baby with arrows was a decoration here, maybe the Shadows they saw reflected their surroundings.

And so, they did—the first Shadows they encountered before reaching the third floor was a Sky Balance cross and two Jealous Cupids. One of them shot an arrow at Junpei, but it missed- she summoned Jack Frost to use bufu ice and gust them back into mere icicles against the wall. Yukari shot her arrow at the Balance, but she also missed, and it spun away and summoned lightning—Polydeuces defended her, since it was immune to zio, then smashed it to bits.

They had to defeat another cupid before finding the source of the large Shadow. Fuuka located it in the Lover's suite on the third floor, centered in the back of the hotel. It was the biggest room with the biggest door.

"We need a key to get in!" Yukari realized. "Some sort of card key-"

"Ezi smashed into the knob several times with her new blade, until it was ripped from the door. Inside the room, in front of the round bed was a large, fat Shadow sitting on a lounge chair—it had a fat blue head with a round mouth, and wore gold and red and white robes. There was a woman like Shadow rubbing its head from behind, with a white body and golden coils for a head.

"This is the boss?" Yukari raised her brow. "It looks more regular than I expected."

"And smaller." Junpei grumbled.

"Don't underestimate it." Akihiko summoned his Persona right away, and it punched the Shadow from the side, knocking it over—it rolled back onto its bottom with the figure behind it.

"It's on!" Junpei had Hermes do the same thing from the other side, and it rolled again, bringing damage to its side. Orpheus was summoned and smashed her weapon into its head, wiping it out and turning it into dust.

"Good job! We're waiting for you outside of the hotel." Fuuka declared.

"That was too easy." Ezi decided. "I know we all improved, but…Whoo! We won!"

Her and Junpei cheered for a moment, then Yukari went for the door—

"Uh, guys? The door won't budge—"

"What?"

"—Guys, a sense a Shadow! It just appeared, in that room! It's different from the one you defeated!"

"Where's it hiding?" Akihiko and the others swirled their heads around trying to find something, but the room was bare.

"Let us out of this creepy room!" Junpei demanded. Ezi looked over at the large mirror in the room, and to her horror, she could see what could not be seen with the naked eye—a heart shaped Shadow, perched in the corner ceiling across from them, beside the bed.

She was about to yell, but the Shadow's top had a heart shaped lid with small eyes on it that cast a bright light on all of them, and it blinded them and they were knocked out.

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The moment there was blackness, she started to dream—or, maybe she was yelling at herself. She was in her gym clothes, standing in the middle of the classroom, and the students were busy at work around her—Mr. Ekoda interrupted the class, stormed in, and took a picture of her with an old fashioned camera.

Mitsuru stalked with abnormally loud strides down the hall, and her hair was glossier and more sparkling than usual.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Iori-san."

Ezi walked out of the room to see Mitsuru chiding Junpei in the command room.

"I'm sorry, baby." He said, cunningly. "Let's make-out to stop the pain."

And, they did.

Junpei ripped her white blouse open all too easily, and pressed his head against her large bossom. She kissed his head with load moans, and they were embracing one another like wild animals in a dog pile.

"My most honored guest!" Theo loomed from behind her, and she was in her uniform. "You have to look away from these things. If anything were to happen to you, I'd explode! Literally! Bye-bye, Port island!"

"If it explodes," someone said next to her, "maybe we could all forget."

Theo began kissing her hand feverishly. She yanked it away and started running.

"Hey!" Akihiko was jogging casually beside her, dressed in Yukari's cardigan and skirt. "You getting some exercise done? Let's get sweaty together. I got your back."

She felt something slimy crawling on her spine, so she stopped running to embrace the feeling. It tickled her waist and thighs, then she fell in the sand pit at the shrine—the dog there was growling at her with purple eyes, and the principal of the school was scolding Saori for bringing a dog to campus.

A puddle, maya Shadow was chasing Maiko, and the old couple were pallid on the floor, holding hands together on the carpet from her dorm bedroom.

"Ezi-sama! You were supposed to make knives wiz me!" Bebe cried. "I will help you put the piercing on!"

"Leave her alone."

Shinjiro pulled her back by the shoulder, and stood in front of her in a bare, white space.

She lunged forward and turned around—he had a Shadow mask on, but it was smiling.

"Catch 12, honey bunny." The mask's laugh echoed, and the sensation of wind fell into her gut as she began to fall, down down into the coliseum, where she heard a dark wing flap. She picked up the black feather, and a terrible feeling crept over her, like she was being watched by a thousand eyes.

Her classmates filled up the seats around her, and they were all gossiping things that had probably popped into her own head before, but she tried to ignore.

"You'll never find it."

"You'll end up killing them! All of them!"

"Its your fault!"

"That bitch is friend's with Akihiko?"

"Kill her, kill her!"

"Did you see her hanging out with-?"

"Little slut!"

"Why does she get all the power?"

"Insecure bitch! You have nothing to be insecure about!"

Her friends were scattered in the crowd.

"I'm jealous of you and Mitsuru! I don't even like you two, we just have to work together in Tartarus!" Yukari was holding her bow and arrow, aiming it at her.

"How are you stronger than me?" Junpei griped his sword. "You have all of this power, it's not fair for me! Come 'ere, and I'll give you some power!"

"I'm really disappointed in you, Leon-san." Mitsuru folded her arms.

"You can't be with me, we are just friends! Stay focused, or you can't join SEES ever again, forever!" Akihiko sounded furious, like he wanted to kill her.

"I think my job would be easier if you weren't the leader. Do everything right for once!" Fuuka held her hand out, and a white light sprouted like weeds, entangling her in nothingness.

"…Do you remember your true name-?"

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 _This place…. This bed… so comfortable…_

She could see the ceiling was tacked with dimmed purple and pink lights.

 _I'm still in the hotel room?_

She wanted to sit up, but she was drained. Her head felt foggy…

 _Why am I here again? I'm here… to…it doesn't matter…_

There was a faucet running in the bathroom, and she could hear a strange voice that was not her own speaking.

 _Embrace your desire…_

The room turned green for a flash moment, and there had been a pale figure moaning over her in that second, then it was gone. The strange voice rang inside her head.

 _I am the voice of your inner self… Enjoy the moment…That which is felt is merely a dream… The present is all we have…_

"That's not true…" Her memories. She still had those… no wait, they were gone, too…

 _The truth is but a fantasy… Memory, a fabrication…Let your desires free you from your shackles…. Such is my wish…_

"And I will step forward to realize this wish…" She stepped into the water as it rose up on the shore, the sand between her toes, and a familiar cold from the water unglazed her eyes as she looked down to see someone else's reflection.

"No! I can't give in…I was doing something…"

 _Pleasure is what you truly want. You stand before the doorway to bliss._

She looked up from the running water—there was a white door, with double knobs and an arch top and arch glass pan on it, sparkling with mosaic colors.

"The door to… my…? No! This is something else, and yet the same thing…"

 _You cannot deny your instincts… Embrace your desire…_

Where had she seen the door before?

.

.

WHERE? WHEN? WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT?

.

.

"Not now… I need the truth! Something about… my memories… my friends… need me…"

Her mind was getting clearer, and she regained control of her thoughts. She wondered if this was the same voice those who wandered Tartarus had heard. Now she could sit up, and found that her uniform shirt was unbuttoned entirely.

The shower from the bathroom turned off, and someone was coming out!

Akihiko stalked out like a zombie, and she could see his bare torso—and—

She screamed. "Oh god, no-!" She looked upward.

"Hey, it's your turn next." He said, dully.

"Akihiko-sempai, snap out of it!" She turned her neck in every direction that kept her from the view in front of her.

"Huh? Whoa! Wh-What the hell?" He started to move normally and stepped back. "What's going on here? Ezi-chan? W-why is your shirt-? Why are you on the bed like that?"

"Worry about yourself!" She covered her eyes. "It's an enemy trap!"

"What? We have to regroup immediately, then!" His face was red, still. "B-but first, button yourself up, please!"

"Put your damn clothes back on, idiot!"

"Ah- after I change first! S-sorry! Right!" He flew back into the bathroom and slammed the door. It seemed his mind had been clouded too. Ezi took a deep breath before scanning the room. With no Shadows in sight, she hastily buttoned up her blouse.

"Oh! I can finally reach you!" Fuuka was talking, now.

"Ah! You startled me. I've had enough of voices in my head…"

"Can you two hear me?" She asked. "I'm sorry I couldn't contact you sooner… The Shadow seems to be interfering with your thoughts, so I could not locate you, and it seems you all got separated."

Ezi looked around in bewilderment. "Okay. Do you know what did this?"

"The enemy is still in the same room upstairs. Please regroup and hurry there! Akihiko-sempai, can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah, loud and clear!" He yelled from the bathroom.

"Um, did something happen?"

"N-no," Ezi replied, "everything's fine! We're heading out of this room now." Fuuka seemed to stop communication, and Akihiko stepped out, fully clothed.

"All right, let's go." He said firmly, Ezi just nodded at him, feeling embarrassed still.

"…Um, and about earlier, could you keep it a secret? Please…"

"Well, yeah, of course! I don't want to tell everyone I saw—Well actually, some girls would pay a shiny penny for that information…"

"Cut it out! I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay. I won't say a word, honest!" They hurried out, taking their weapons and preparing to run through the halls. Fuuka guided them upwards to the second floor, where Yukari and Junpei were waiting for them.

"Everyone! The shadow has sealed the room it was in before. You have to find the power source to break the seal before you can enter it again."

"Glad you guys are safe!" Junpei said to Ezi and Akihiko. "I didn't know there was another Shadow. You guys are okay, right?"

"Er… Just fine. N-nothing weird happened on your end, right?" Ezi scratched the back of her head, trying to stay focused.

Akihiko was flustered. "…Huh? O-of course we're okay!"

"Okay…" Yukari said strangely. "Anyway, I think the seal is in the mirrors! I could see the Shadow in the mirror when we were in that room."

"Me too! Let's go to each room and see what we can find." They split up, going into each room at a time and trying to find something to break the seal.

"It's the mirrors!" Yukari proclaimed. "Check for your reflection… if its not there, smash the mirror!"

"Right, that will break the seal!"

Everyone went to each room down the long halls. Some rooms had transmogrified couples in them… Ezi found the mirror without her reflection on the second floor, broke it, and everyone regrouped and entered the farthest Lover's suite of the hotel on the third floor again.

The Shadow was flying there, with goopy red wings and a hollow body like a woman's perfume bottle, in the shape of a glass heart. It had a heart pattern aligned down the front of it, and inside you could see a male and female gender symbols twirling about. The head of the bottle was like a top, and it was red and scarlet with furrowed thin eyes and heart shaped frown for a mouth.

"How dare you pull shit like that with us… I hope you're ready to die!" Akihiko punched his fists together in a fury.

"Get ready for damage… this room isn't big enough for us to fight in!" Ezi put the evoker to her head, and summoned Jack Frost to used ice. Junpei summoned Hermes and it kicked dropped into the Shadow—as it crash landed, the wings sprang forth like tentacles towards them, and they had to scatter. It damaged the walls and broke through them, sliding across the brick to reach one of them. Yukari shrieked when they had to duck down, and Lo appeared suddenly to whip away the rubble.

"Damn!" Akihiko used zio, and Polydeuces pushed the Shadow back into the wall on the right, cracking the mirror and breaking into the next room. The goop sprang forth again, entrapping Ezi around her waist. She sliced through it with her Naginata and the goop dissipated, and she rolled back up onto her feet when it dropped her. Another one attacked Junpei, he managed to block the goop with his sword, then duck down and fall flat into a bathtub in the suite's room. He summoned Hermes and it kicked directly into the chest again, flying it back to the end of the other room.

As the rubble settled, the eyes of the Shadow began to glow, and its target was the farthest human standing out from the tub—a telepathic attack, that became visible as a dust of pink hearts that pushed Junpei back into the chest.

"Marin Karin?" Yukari guessed, having seen Mitsuru use it before to charm the cupid Shadows.

"Junpei?" Akihiko asked worriedly. Junpei raised his eyes to reveal they were a hot pink shade, and his face was blushing as he cackled uncontrollably. He began swinging at Akihiko, who had to duck and dodge Junpei's blade—he even used the knuckle braces on his new gloves to block a swing from above, and managed to kick him back.

"Stupei, cut it out!" Yukari cried. The rubble from before had tarnished her clothes, revealing some of her cleavage, which the possessed Junpei noticed right away. He licked his lips as he charged for the girls.

"Look out!" Akihiko cried. Junpei sprang and swung his blade horizontally, and Yukari ducked in time and now he faced Ezi, who punched him hard in the cheek opposite the direction he had swung, and he fell, completely knocked out.

"Sorry, Junpei." Ezi said sadly.

The Shadow's eyes stopped glowing, and it levitated forward from its previous fall.

"Damn you, Shadow! You'll pay for this!" Yukari's face was red with anger and embarrassment.

"We have to take those limbs, then the head!" Ezi ordered. She summoned a new Persona, Oberon, a fairy prince, and he used his rapier to cut through the slim and goop. Akihiko punched and tore through with his fists. With more of a clearing, Yukari took two shots took aim directly into the Shadows head, cracking it like a broken vase. The rest of it tumbled downward into black ash.

.

Akihiko carried Junpei out, and they walked briskly out of the Champs de Fleurs hotel. They could see from the entrance that they had damaged the highest floor of the hotel.

"I'm glad you're all safe." Fuuka said, relinquishing Lucia.

"Thanks for your help." Mitsuru told her. "The enemy was sly, but you did well."

"I did what I could." Fuuka nodded.

"Iori-san, are you alright?"

He stood up straight with a tired look. "Yeah…"

"You did well too, Leon. For withstanding the enemy's mental assault."

They had managed to survive yet another difficult battle, and they started walking back to the dorm. Mitsuru and Akihiko walked ahead, leaving the juniors to walk in their own group, it seemed.

"Oh, Yukari!" Fuuka said. "About that thing you asked me to look into the other day…"

"You found something? Cool, tell me later." Ezi wondered what they were referring to.

Yukari continued. "Fuuka played a big role in this one: score a another point for the second years!"

"Yeah! Your information was very helpful, Fuuka. Thank you." Ezi said.

Yukari turned around. "Junpei, come on! What are you doing?"

"Hey, Ezi… what are you trying so hard for?" He called out. There was a somewhat sullen tone in his voice.

"I'm compensating for you." She teased, but then she wondered if that was below the belt after he had been charmed earlier in the fight by the enemy… and, she had to punch him in the face.

He chuckled, almost mockingly. "Is that so?"

"Dude, what's the matter with you?" Yukari pressed. "Are you gonna keep sulking because a girl got to be the leader this time too?"

"Shut up!" Junpei trotted off quickly to catch up with the seniors, and hearing his retort caused Ezi to grimace.

"Sheesh, what's up HIS butt?"

"Leave it alone, Yukari." Ezi snapped.

"But-?"

They didn't say much as they pressed on.

There would be less victims of the Apathy Syndrome now, as they had successfully defeated another Shadow. They dragged their tired forms back to the dorm.

A man from afar clapped at the SEES team's accomplishment. He and the people with him were watching from the building roof opposite of hotel. He confided his other two comrades as to what they should do about these magnificent fighters. One of them suggested they speak to their buddy who was connected to the SEES team, as they all shared the same fate, and they would all want the SEES operations to stop for good, since they did not have much time left….

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It was raining lightly outside. Ezi embraced the energy the cloudy day presented her. She listened to her music under the Persimmon tree after school, before she had joined Rio in the gym. What were Fuuka and Yukari looking into? What was the root of Junpei's anger? What was Mitsuru possibly hiding? Perhaps this was all connected to the reason she had come to the island in the first place.

There were actually some other girls from the team practicing, and even Yuko was playing with them. Rio, however, was sitting in the corner by the stacked bleachers, her hands folded behind her. Ezi asked if she was okay, and she said yes, so she went to practice with the others, but Rio didn't budge for a while.

"It's sort of a relief she's not bugging us, but its also kind of weird." One of the girls said.

"I hope she's okay… We should call it quits for today." Yuko decided. "It's not like anyone is invested right now anyway."

The girls left and Ezi attended to Rio.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She pressed.

Rio shook her head. "Ezi-san… Uh, Kenji…"

"What about him?"

"He went out with Ms. Kanou. I saw them talking outside of the gym earlier today."

Ezi grimaced. "Oh…"

"He's an idiot, right? It's not like they can actually date each other! He's a student and she's a teacher! Why…"

"I understand…They don't suit each other."

Rio's eyes brimmed with tears. "Why wasn't it me?" She lowered her head and began to cry even more. "I didn't know I was a bad person. I have these terrible feelings inside of me… What is wrong with me?"

Ezi wrapped her arms over her shoulders. "It's because you like Kenji."

"Like? I get it, so that's why…" She wept weakly for a few moments.

"It's okay, Rio-san…" Ezi wondered how bad this feeling must be for her. A proud leader, crumbling in because of unrequited love—a broken heart? She had never…

Rio chuckled bitterly, "I didn't realize my feelings until it was too late. How stupid of me."

"Well, maybe, you could tell him how you feel."

"No way. It's too late. Besides, he likes older woman, and only sees me as a child, not even as a girl. I hated that, all this time…"

"It'll be okay…"

She took a few more silent moments, and wiped her face. "'Sorry we didn't get enough practice today. I'll be smiling more tomorrow… Act like you don't know anything, okay?"

"Got it!"

Rio left.

Ezi was actually exhausted still from the previous night's full moon operation.

Junpei had been avoiding long conversations with her.

She thought about Rio's other situation: the fact that the girls didn't like her on the team, because she was too bossy. Perhaps her friends didn't trust her for similar reasons.

.

.

As she entered the dorm, Theo called her on her cell phone.

"Good evening, honored guest. You probably guessed, but the power within Tartarus has been depleted. You should be able to wander further in."

"Thanks, Theo." She hung up. Mitsuru was studying a chemistry book on the couch across from Akihiko. Yukari whizzed by her.

"I, uh, have some research to do. I'm studying with some archery friends. Later." She almost slammed the door as she left the dorm.

"Leon-san. How are you?" Mitsuru asked.

"Oh, I'm okay."

"Since we defeated the Shadow, I suppose the seal will be broken once we go inside of Tartarus."

"Right."

"Perhaps we should consider not going this week, since exams are coming up. With all we have learned about the Shadows, I think we can take a break to study."

"That's fine with me. But, maybe later this week we can go see the next section of Tartarus."

"Yes, perhaps."

She turned to Junpei, who was sitting at the bar like tables beside the stairway, slurping on some cup noodles.

"Hey Jun-"

"Sorry, is this important?" He snapped. "It's just, I've got to go study, and I don't feel like talking to anyone." He pushed back on his seat and got up, heading up the stairs.

She decided to go out to the Club Escapade, to speak with Mutatsu the monk. She didn't have the heart to study yet. He was drinking strong beer as usual, and yapping about his responsibilities. He claimed that before he had to tend to the younger monks, but now he preferred to work alone.

She wondered if that would be her soon. She did like being alone sometimes, listening to her music on her headphones with no care in the world…

.

The next morning, no one in the dorm was available to go to school with her. She went alone, listening to small gossip about how the Fluers hotel had some sort of explosion on the top floor and was being renovated.

Mr. Ono was scoping out whom to ask a question about the pre-feudal era.

"Junpei!" He said, delightedly, wearing his Samurai helmet as usual. "What title did Tairo No Masakado claim for himself?"

Ezi sat behind him as usual. "Imperial Prince." She whispered, probably too loud, but Mr. Ono didn't seem to hear her.

"How should I know?" Was Junpei's answer. Some students gasped.

"Oh, Iori-san…" Mr. Ono pointed to the door.

"Gladly." He stood up with attitude and slugged out, standing in the hallway by the window.

She swallowed. He had rejected her answer on purpose. She had messed up again.

Akihiko approached her at lunchtime. He had been breathing like he had just gone for a jog.

"Sorry, I could have just texted you, but I didn't want any evidence."

"Huh?" She was baffled.

"I mean, I wanted to say thanks again for getting us out of that mess with the Shadow. I didn't want to say that over text."

She giggled. "Oh! Right. Well, yeah, that was awkward."

"Right. I just want to get past it, and get things back to normal again."

"I agree."

"Then, let's hangout after school. I want to try a new place."

"Really? That's not normal."

He chuckled. "Ikutsuki-san is going to meet us in the command room today, so I figured it we could grab some food and then go there."

"Good call. Imma be hungry by then. Uh, is anyone else coming?"

"Oh, no, but you can invite Yukari or someone if you want."

They probably didn't want to hangout with her anyway.

"That's okay…"

.

After school, Akihiko brought Ezi to the strip mall, in front of the Sweet Shop.

"I heard this place was popular…. A-are guys allowed to go in?"

"To a sweet shop? Yes. It's totally fine. How else is a guy supposed to buy a girl chocolates?"

"Actually, girls buy the chocolate for guys on Valentine's Day in this country… Anyway, l-let's go inside. I'm rambling."

The walls inside the shop were painted with stacks of candy, from jellybeans to gummy worms, to chocolate covered raisins and milk duds. At the clerk desk, they had pastries and cupcakes and cakes and ice cream and fudge all aligned on different parts inside the glass.

Ezi's mouth was open. "This place is gonna give me diabetes just by looking at it…"

Akihiko frowned. "Oh, you're not-?"

"It's AMAZING! I want to try everything! All the things! Every sweet darn thing in here! Buy me all of it!"

"I'm not made of money."

"Then, what good are you?"

He knew it was a joke, so he shrugged and chuckled.

The clerk was rather energetic, probably from eating all the sugar.

"Heya kiddos! What would you like? We have a bunch of sales today!"

"GOOD." Ezi's eyes seemed to sparkle as she scanned the walls of sugary products. "Oh, so many choices… What do you want, sempai?"

"Uh, I'm not sure…" He seemed perplexed.

"Well, what do you like for sweets, sweetie?"

He shrugged.

"You better tell me… I won't be satisfied eating alone…"

"Oh, of course I wouldn't make you do that! Why would I bring you here if I didn't like sweets?" He sounded nervous. "Um, what kind of cakes do they have?"

"Red velvet, chocolate… oh! Angel pound cake with strawberry drizzle! That looks so damn good! I'm in love!"

"Okay, we'll get one of those, then I'll pick something else." The clerk cut through the cake. He took a slice that was almost half of the large cake, and plopped it on a tiny plate.

"Here yah go!"

"…Oh, this may be too much, even for me!"

"First you want the cake, now you don't?" Akihiko said.

"Hey! I just wanted _some_ cake, okay? Not a whole damn bakery!"

"Sorry! That's our portions." Explained the clerk.

Akihiko seemed to turn towards her. "Well, what if I split it with you?"

She hesitated. She remembered reading in a manga from the Bookworms store that sharing food with a boy was some sort of romantic gesture…

"Hell yeah! I still want to try the cake."

They sat down and had their own forks, sitting across from each other, leaning forward to reach the dessert. She felt an oddness about it, but Akihiko didn't seem to mind sharing, and spoke about basic topics with her as they ate. They could barely finish the cake, and returned outside to head out.

"Thank you for the food, sempai. I'll pay next time!"

"D-don't worry about it… that was rather sweet…"

"Didn't you like it? I'm offended. I thought it was good."

"Oh, don't be! I don't not like sweets or anything, it's just I don't eat them as often. I was surprised at how sugary it was." He seemed a little embarrassed.

"Oh, I understand!"

"Yeah. And… I heard girls like to eat sweet things, so…"

She blinked. It seemed Akihiko was trying to do something she might like.

"Still, it was like having a lump of pure sugar shoved down my throat."

"I guess for someone like you who takes care of themselves, it's hard to eat like that. Thanks for taking me, even though you secretly hate sugar."

"I do not-!"

She giggled. "I appreciate it! Was there some particular reason for coming here today, or-?"

"Uh, n-no. I just thought we could try it. Well, I'm craving real food now."

"Yeah! Something hot and won't cause me to crash later on."

"Then let's go to the Beef-"

"Don't you dare take me there again." She threatened, teasingly.

"Oh, Akihiko-sempai!"

It was the girl with buns, and one of her friends, again.

" _Omigosh_ , I'm like, so jazzed to run into you here a second time!"

"Oh, hi." He said nicely.

"Say, why're you here with Junpei's girlfriend?" She crossed her arms. "Like, stop stealing all of the guys when you've already got one for yourself!"

"I'm not…" She thought about Junpei and Yukari again and it pained her.

"Yeah," her friend added. "Just because you and your boyfriend are fighting right now doesn't mean you can just hang with other guys while you're on break. Don't you know what commitment is?"

"I'm not even his girlfriend." She said quietly. What was wrong with her? Usually, she was ready to fight bitches like these.

"Well I'm sorry, but who even asked you?" The girl with buns scoffed.

"I'm standing here too, you know!" Ezi retorted, stomping her foot down. "The supposed girlfriend of Junpei's has a name!"

"Girls, as you can see, I'm here with Ezi right now. We'll have to talk some other time."

"But-!"

Ezi almost jumped when he slipped his hand into hers. "Come on, let's go, Ezi." He pulled her gently passed the girls, and they made some short protest, all the while cutting menchis at her. She felt guilty for a moment—these girls were terrible, but maybe they were right. She couldn't be friends with everybody…

Akihiko led her out of the area quickly, like he was determined and angry, but then their pace slowed down as they walked back to the dorm. He pulled his hand away quickly, even though she hadn't thought about it for a while.

"Oh, sorry. Did I hurt your hand?"

He did have a tight grip. "No, I'm okay."

"I'm sorry about what happened back there."

"It's not your fault, sempai."

"I'm glad to hear you say that." He scratched the back of his head. "All this talk about me showing off and taking someone else's girlfriend."

"Yeah?"

"There are people in my class saying things about me, too…"

"I didn't think it was so bad for you too, sempai."

"Y-yeah. First it was with Mitsuru, then Yukari when she joined the dorm, and now you?"

This upset her, being compared to them.

"Ah, you're secretly a player, like Junpei."

"Am not!"

"W-well, it seems people aren't as sweet as the treats they eat."

He paused, then snickered, feeling relieved. Akihiko must have been going through a lot, himself…

"…I had fun today. It's nice to have sweet things once in a while."

"Yeah! That place was amazing… until those girls showed up. I was thinking maybe they were sort of right."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, maybe all of us in SEES should balance our, what's the word, relationships with each other?"

"I still don't get what you mean, sorry."

"Just…" She sighed, exhuming some of her strain, "I mean, Junpei and Yukari aren't talking to me. They were the first friends I made on the island, and now they don't seem to trust me. It's because I'm the leader… They're having issues with it, in their own ways."

"Oh," He stammered, unsure of what to say.

"I don't want them to be angry at me, I like them! And maybe, if I get closer to you, what if you start hating me too?"

"Ezi-chan," he hesitated, "it's like I said before: You can't please everyone."

"I know I can't! But, I should be able to please my closest friends here, right? I just wish everything was okay between us, but its not. And it's like, every time I talk to Junpei, he gets more upset. With Yukari, it's like she's up to something, but she doesn't trust me enough to bring me into it."

"Friends fight. Maybe you just need to give them some space, and give them time to process their own situations. It's hard when you can't fix things right away when you want to; it just takes time. Trust me, I know. I'm sure they'll come around."

She nodded. "Okay, you're right."

"…Is that why you've been so upset since the Shadow fight?" He asked. Apparently, he had noticed.

"Y-yeah…" She sighed. "Did you invite me out to the shop because of that?"

"Uh, y-yeah! Yep, that's the only reason. I thought it might cheer you up."

She smiled at him. They reached the dorm. "It did. I had fun today, seeing all those sweets."

"I'm glad you did." He smiled back. "Say, aren't you in the cooking club now, with Fuuka? Maybe you could make me something sweet sometime."

"Any suggestions?"

"Like, pancakes. Pancakes sound good."

"Pancakes? For real?"

"I like them." He chuckled lightly. "What? Does that seem like the kind of food I wouldn't like?"

"No… But, what do I know?" She paused. "Hey, if you're struggling with rumor stuff, you can talk to me about it. I-I know it seems silly sometimes, but it can be frustrating too."

"I know it. Thanks."

"I hate when people get the wrong idea about us!"

"W-wrong idea?"

"Yeah. We're just friends, but everyone thinks I'm hogging you. It's kind of funny, actually. Is that too mean of me to say?"

"I guess not. Everyone makes a big deal over little things"

"Well, maybe I should hangout with you less, so the love of your life can finally have you."

"Don't even joke like that. Besides, I'm like you when it comes to that sort of thing! I just, want to focus on getting stronger."

"R-right." She told herself.

"… Uh, let's head in. The others might be waiting for us."

When they walked into the command room, Mitsuru was giving an account on the battle at the hotel to Ikutsuki.

"I see." He observed. "They appear to be getting stronger. Well, there's not all bad news today—"

"I'm sorry." Yukari interrupted. She stood up. "Before we go on, I'd like to ask Mitsuru-sempai something."

"Me?" Mitsuru sounded worried, and Ezi could tell this wasn't going to end well.

"Since I joined, so many things have happened…I went along with you, not really understanding what was going on…. But now, I need to know."

Fuuka and Ezi seemed to exchange glances.

"I'm just gonna ask straight out. You've been hiding something from us, haven't you sempai? You act like you don't know anything, but it all has to do with that accident 14 years ago, doesn't it?"

"Accident?" Junpei echoed.

"Y-Yukari-chan." Fuuka seemed surprised she was using the information she had uncovered with her now.

"There was an explosion near our school, and a lot of people died. You know about it, right?"

"…Yes." Mitsuru said.

"Luckily, no students were hurt, but a lot of students were recorded as absent."

"What do you mean?"

"I dug up some old school files. All of the students that were absent had collapsed suddenly, and had to be hospitalized. Sound familiar? Like the girls who bullied Fuuka."

Mitsuru sunk.

"What really happened that day? The Kirijo Group built our school, where Tartarus is, so you must know something!"

"I wasn't trying to hide it, it just didn't seem relevant. But…"

The room was quiet for a moment.

"It's okay, Mitsuru, it's not your fault." Ikutsuki said.

"Alright," she decided, "I'll tell you everything. The Shadows have mysterious abilities. Research indicates that they can affect time and space. We think of them as the enemy, but what if we could use them to our advantage? They would be the source of unimaginable power, wouldn't they?"

"What? You really think that?" Yukari was baffled.

"No, not me. Fourteen years ago, one man pursued that line of thinking… the former leader before my father, Kouetsu Kirijo… my grandfather. He founded the research and scientists that created the Shadows to harness their power."

"Damn, that's freaken crazy!" Junpei yelled.

"However, at that time, during the last stage of their experiments… they lost control of the Shadows' powers. In the process, the very nature of the world was altered."

"Oh my… you mean?" Fuuka said her thoughts aloud.

"Yes. Tartarus and the Dark Hour. By their account, The mass of Shadows they had collected split into several large ones that then dispersed. These are the Shadows we encounter on the full moon."

Yukari squinted her eyes at the senior. "Why did our school turn into Tartarus, if this is all true? If the school was there… Don't tell me they ran the experiments there?"

"…Yes."

"Then, the students that were hospitalized…"

"It's as you are thinking. Port Island must have been an ideal location for them. The Kirijo Group had influence there, so they could do as they please. So, they ran their experiments at Gekkoukan High School."

"This means, we're just cleaning up their mess! You have been lying to us?" Yukari expected a response, but Mitsuru said nothing. Yukari turned to Akihiko. "You knew too, didn't you, Sempai? Or did you just not care about it as long as you got to fight?"

Ezi turned to him for a response.

"I never said anything like that! I have my reasons for fighting…"

"So, you did know, then?" Ezi repeated. He just mumbled something, and it angered her for a moment.

"Think what you all want to think. It was my choice not to share the information, not Akihiko's. I'm sorry. I never meant to deceive you. Convincing you to join SEES was my highest priority. You all had the ability of the Personas—I didn't want you to waist your gifts."

"How could you?" Yukari scolded. Ezi wondered if she was as mad as Yukari, or if she even cared at all—maybe Yukari was just relishing the opportunity to point out a flaw in her sempai.

"Hey, Yukari," Ezi felt a burst of energy. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"Huh?" Yukari turned her head to her.

"I just mean you could have at least asked Mitsuru nicely before you accused her alone of something! I want answers too, but if we're a team shouldn't we be working together?"

"See how you're protecting her? That's why I didn't tell you in the first place!" Snapped Yukari.

"It's alright, Leon-san." Intruded Mitsuru. "Takeba-san has a right to be suspicious, since I did not reveal what I knew before. I thought it would be best since you all willingly joined. Some of us didn't have a choice…"

"Mitsuru, don't." Akihiko placed his hand on her shoulder, comforting her. A lot was stirring in her mind, but in that moment she realized Akihiko and Mitsuru must be close friends if he kept her secret for her—and Mitsuru was forced to use her Persona-?

Finally, Ikutsuki-san spoke:

"Yukari, its those in the past that are to blame, not Mitsuru. And they lost their lives as a result of their actions. We're all in the same boat here; we don't deserve this burden. It's been 14 years since the incident. No one knows why Those Shadows suddenly returned, but there's good news. What if I told you those 12 Shadows are the end to everything?"

"What? So then if we defeat the 12 Shadows, the Dark Hour will disappear?" Akihiko perked up.

"Exactly! There's evidence to support it! Regardless of what's happened in the past, we must fight to protect humans, and the future!"

"Indeed. And there are many mysteries surrounding Tartarus. Why did a gigantic structure come to exist in the first place? The answer must lie within…"

"I'm sorry if you're confused with all of this information, Ezi-san." The Chairman seemed to notice the frustration on her face.

"Oh no! I got it all." But, she would have to pry deeper to find answers.

"You seem so calm." Junpei said loudly. "Must be because you can do anything."

"Junpei," She sighed.

"Compared to that, I'm just a mediocre fighter." He shrugged, a smug smirk on his face.

"Junpei-kun, we're all in the dark here, working together!" Fuuka said confidently.

"Some harder than others." He scoffed.

"Whatever, Junpei. You and Yukari can be as mad at me as you want! The only reason you think I act so perfect is because I'm trying to keep you alive on missions! Would you rather I slack off so you can dive in and save the day? What good would I be as a leader if I cared more about your superiority complex than your lives?"

"That's not what I'm saying-!" Junpei growled, frustrated. "It all just comes naturally to you, doesn't it?"

"Well, I don't know WHY it does! My abilities as well as this whole situation are completely mysterious to even me!"

"They are to you too?" Yukari questioned. "Then, how come you're so eager to believe Mitsuru when she lied to us? How do you know she's not hiding things about your connection to all of this too?"

"I don't, okay? But it would have been nice to know you were investigating. I wish you'd trust me Yukari. And Junpei, I wish you would stop acting jealous!" She felt sweaty.

"I'm trying to help you, to help everyone! I'm not doing anything on purpose to go against you!"

"I don't think that…" Yukari said weakly.

"Ezi-chan…" Fuuka wasn't sure to say to appease the tension in the room.

Ezi swallowed and left them. Junpei was still angry, and it was likely Yukari still didn't trust her.

Not only that, but now Ezi did feel frustrated for not investigating Mitsuru herself. Her parents were scientists, and the Kirijo Group they had worked for previously was responsible for the Dark Hour and the 12 Shadows.

It would take time.

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"…You want me to feed a stray cat?"

"Correct." Theo replied.

"Um, you do know there are a thousand starving cats outside, right?"

"Oh, no! This one is the grey and white one I saw at the station when we went. Would you be willing to feed it? The poor thing looked so starving!"

"Sure, I guess. Oh, and here." She handed him the Jack Frost Doll she had won at the crane machine, per request.

He gasped in a high voice and swiped the doll. "So fluffy… so soft. I wondered how something like this can be made with such excellent precision and care. Truly this is adorable thing is remarkable."

"…I'm gonna go feed the cat." His fondness towards stuffed dolls caught her off guard. Still, it was better than being glared at back at the lounge.

She went to the Pharmacy, buying some ointments and bandaging for their operations, as well as a bag of cat food. When she got out of the store, she saw the TV executive at his stand again.

"Hey!" She said.

"Oh, I didn't think you would come." He said, slyly.

"Well, I left my number on the contract. You never called me back."

"Right! About that… The contract was lost by one of the higher ups, and the investment didn't go through well."

"Are you serious?"

"Actually, this is a good thing…" The man maneuvered on and on, and somehow, convinced Ezi to cough up more yen.

"Ha! You naïve girl. Someone with charm should have more brains!"

"Excuse me? I'm just trying to make some extra cash!"

"Well, I don't have that, but I can give you all kinds of advice—free of charge, of course. As long as you don't let on about your investment not working out."

"Trying to keep me quiet, eh?" She folded her arms. "Fine! But you better give some damn good advice!"

He spoke more about his company, and went by the name Tanaka. He did seem to know how to handle money, though he was definitely some type of shark. He promised to give her more advice whenever she'd come by—though, it was unsettling to her, like making a deal with the **Devil**.

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She bought a sweet crepe pastry form the Chagall Cafe to munch on while she searched around for the cat at the station. A little boy claimed he always saw it in the back of the station, near the outskirts, by an underground club.

"Hey kitty, kitty." She shook the bag, and heard the cat rubbing on the trash bin in the back of the station. "Hey, kitty kitty-!"

She almost felt guilty for thinking the request would be a waste of time. When she saw it, the poor cat was matted, and skinnier than a pencil.

"Poor thing! Come on, eat up!" She poured some of the dry food on a cardboard piece on the ground, and crouched down to watch it eat. It was so tiny, she decided she would have to come back and feed it another time too. Then, she heard voices.

"…If you're here to try to convince me to join, then you're wasting your time!"

Some people were walking towards her. She thought about how shady this area was, so she crawled behind the dumpster with the cat, to avoid any unnecessary encounter.

"I'm not, I just came to say hi and see how you're doing."

The voice; it belonged to Akihiko.

"What?"

"Yeah. We've known each other for 14 years. Back when we used to play in the orphanage. You, me and Miki—we'd run around and play all day until the sunset."

 _Akihiko, more emotional than he appeared to be_. She thought, and realized he must be talking to his dark brooding friend, Shinjiro.

"Did you come here just to talk about the past? Don't spew that sentimental crap with me. Do that with your new friends."

"What'd you say?"

"It's not like you to bring up the past. You're always just charging ahead like a damn fool. So obviously, there's something on your mind."

He took a moment to reply. "I do reminisce sometimes… But, what's the point? I guess I can't help it, the memories are always there…"

She envied him.

"…Anyway, we finally know how to get rid of Tartarus and the Dark Hour."

"No shit?"

"Yeah. To be honest, all I've been thinking about lately is getting stronger. But, someone made me question my reasoning for fighting."

"Your reason for fighting, huh? It's different for everyone. But if yours isn't strong enough of a reason, you can always quit. Like I did."

"I'm not like you. I can't believe I'm the one getting lectured here. Well, see you around…" Akihiko walked on, and Ezi listened to both of their footsteps vanish. She felt like it was a personal conversation between friends, but there was never a good moment to stand up and reveal herself…

Who had been the one to change Akihiko's drive to fight, she wondered? She went and visited Maiko at the shrine, since it had been her birthday that week and she wanted to play.

It had been a rough week.

Mitsuru and Fuuka decided together that they would try to find out more about Tartarus, using Mitsuru's ID and Fuuka's hacking skills. Yukari read some of her father's old letters to her and her mother before he had passed away years ago, and she decided she would have hope like he did. Junpei allowed the reason for his disdain to surface as he walked the streets of the island, and decided he would have to figure out what to do when the Shadows were all gone, because he truly was useless otherwise. Or at least, he felt that way.

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All the while everyone seemed to have their own issues, but they knew one thing for certain: They would have to keep fighting the Shadows.

But there were three weirdoes that wanted to kill them, and the Shadows were only part of a much bigger warning from the boy in the Dark Hour, if they would all even survive that long.

To Be Continued!

End of Block 2!

A/N: Block 3 coming soon! Anyway there was that weird dream, and I want more of Aki and protaganists interaction to be more meaningful, but their relationship has to go slow too XD R&R!


	12. Block 3: Date 11: YAKUSHIMA!

**A/N: HellO! I gotta say I really want to replay this game again, although I'll wait until after I publish all of it onto this website. Re-reading some of the parts here reminds me of why I liked the story so much! Anyway enjoy this block of:**

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~Persona 3 Portable~

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 **Block III: Midnight Summer's Dream**

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Date 11: Ya-Ku-Shi-Maaaa!

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Dark Hour. She sensed someone's presence and woke up.

"Its good to see you again." Pharos spoke at the foot of her bed. "How long has it been since we first met? Time seems to flow rather quickly."

"Indeed it does." She stretched her arms and sat up in her bed.

"So, how is life as a Persona-user?"

"Good! But, I still feel like something's missing."

"I wonder what… I hope you'll find it soon."

"You don't know what it is?"

"No, but maybe my knowledge will ease you a bit. I remember something else about the coming of the end… It all goes back to an occurrence that happened many years ago. Fourteen years ago, to be exact."

"How..?"

"Hey, didn't your parents pass fourteen years ago?"

"Yes, they did… but they weren't on this island when they died. They weren't even employed by Kirijo, though they had been before that. That's why I came here. My parents worked as scientist for Kirijo, but they left before Mitsuru's grandfather started the experiments…"

"I see…"

"It feels like too much of a coincidence, though. I'm still missing some thing."

"A Persona is like a mirror. It reflects our deepest thoughts and memories and power."

"Are you a Persona?"

"I'm not sure… Regardless, I will stay with you."

"Why?"

"Because we're friends."

"Oh," she smiled. "Right. I guess true friends stick together no matter what…"

"Good night." Pharos disappeared. She went to bed to prepare for her exams the next day. It seemed the closer she got to the truth herself, somehow Pharos was there to remind her of something.

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She had walked alone to school, but Junpei actually spoke to her at the school gates that morning.

"Hey."

She was probably too excited to see him talking to her. "Hey!"

"S-so you been studying for exams?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. Have y-?"

"Seriously? Like I care."

"Junpei…" He walked up ahead of her in a faster pace. She wasn't as prepared for exams as she had been before. Thankfully it was Literature that day in their homeroom. She had been paying attention in Ms. Toriumi's class quite a bit, so the questions seemed to be a breeze. Since there were no clubs that day, she went to an awkward event happening at the dorm.

It seemed everyone was trying to save money, but everyone was gathered in at the kitchen table, as there had been a smorgasbord of food Fuuka had heated up for everyone to eat. The table was quiet.

"Come on, aren't you guys hungry?" Akihiko tried to lighten the mood. He was scarfing down his food.

"N-not really." Yukari grumbled. Silence filled the room. Ezi herself was about to open her mouth, but Fuuka filled in.

"What are everyone's plans for the summer vacation coming up?"

Junpei brightened up first. "I wish I could go to the beach! Hot sand, cool breeze, and babes in bikinis! Man, that'd be awesome! Somewhere nice, where the water is crystal clear. We have exams first though, what a drag."

"You'll be fine." Fuuka assured. "I would want to go someplace beautiful too, like Okinawa."

Ikutsuki buzzed into the kitchen. "Well, it's not that, but how about Yakushima?"

"Mr. Chairman," Mitsuru stood up. "I didn't realize you were here."

"I was close by, so I thought I'd tell you my schedule for next week. Mitsuru, your father is will be vacationing there in Yakushima during the break. You'll all have some time off after exams, right? Why don't you go and pay him a surprise visit?"

"Seriously? Beaches and babes, here I come!" Junpei seemed more like his regular self, but then again, he wasn't talking directly to Ezi.

"Men." Yukari sighed.

"How about it, Mitsuru?"

"But… My father is a busy man. I wouldn't want to ruin his vacation."

"Don't worry. No father would be upset with a daughter who came all the way to see him. You've all done a great job and deserve time to relax, too."

"I don't know…" Mitsuru said quietly. Ezi stood up as well with her hands on the table.

She pictured waves, waves of particular familiarity, on a small island, and the calm _whoosh_ they made across the silver sand—

"YAKUSHIMA!" She yelled suddenly. "Sempai, he's right! We do need a break!"

"Come on, sempai, I'm beggin' ya!" Junpei raised his hands up together, like he was praying to her.

"…Alright. I guess everyone needs a break now and then. Let's do it."

"Whoohoo!"

Akihiko scratched his chin. "The beach, huh? I should design a special training regimen."

"Training? Dude, I'm stoked!"

"I'll need to buy a swimsuit." Fuuka realized.

"Me too." Yukari said. "Hey, Ezi-chan… want to go shopping with us for one sometime this week?"

"Yeah!" She felt relieved.

"I've got one you can borrow, Fuuka!" Junpei teased.

"Nice try, man." Akihiko said.

"Are you going with us to swim too, Ikutsuki-san?" She asked.

"No. I'll turn to ash if I'm exposed to that kind of sunlight."

"Whoa, that was a joke, right?" Junpei was worried.

"Of course it was…" Akihiko seemed disappointed in Junpei for not understanding the joke.

Everyone chatted about the trip. Yukari decided to go apologize to Mitsuru in the hallway for getting carried away before, and Mitsuru forgave her. She felt enlightened, and better with herself.

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The week of the exams went as the other one had. The next day, she was in Edigawa's health class, answering questions about ancient types of magic, like Shamanism and dowsing. The next day was science, about marine biology and the Japanese diet.

History class with Mr. Ono was a little more difficult, trying to remember the names of most of the Samurai establishments, like the Minimoto no Yoritono.

Then, of course, English class was a breeze, since she knew it so well already. It had been back and forth, forcing herself to study after each exam to prepare for the next one on the coming day.

On the last day, Junpei walked by her again in front of the school.

"Hey."

"Hey!" She said unusually cheerily. Even if they were fighting, it was nice to see him.  
"Thank god it's the last day of exams. I can't wait for summer."

"Me too! I'm exhausted…" They both were silent as they walked into the building. "Um, how have you been?"

"Don't ask." He said. "But man, I can't wait to blow some steam off on vacation."

"Y-yeah, me too."

On the last day of exams, her pen was flying off the paper, filing the essay questions with details of extravagance; there was no way she was doing poorly today. Even after everything…

When the day was over, she gathered over to Yukari and Junpei.

"I'm done baby!" He cheered. "The dark times of exams are over!"

"How'd you do?" Yukari asked.

"Check it out! I aced PE." He said brightly.

"That basically answers my question."

"A real man doesn't dwell on the past! I'm looking forward to Yakushima."

"Oh yeah! We still have that to do." Yukari sounded un-amused. "Ezi, are you ready?"

Ezi perked up hearing Yukari talk normally to her. "Oh yeah, you know it! But, I don't have a suit."

"Well, I should get ready too. Wanna go somewhere after this?"

"Y-yeah. That would be nice. We haven't hung out in a while."

"I can go too, ladies! I can help you pick out swim suits!"

"Yeah, right." Yukari snapped. "I'll go invite Fuuka too… girls only! And I need to get my gym bag." Yukari left, leaving them alone in the room. Junpei wasn't in a hurry to leave this time either looking at her with an agape mouth. He started off by rubbing the back of his neck under his cap.

"I guess… um, I'm sorry about the way I've been acting. I was just in a bad mood and I took it out on you. I know it wasn't too cool of me."

"It's alright…" She smiled. "I'm actually kind of happy about it."

"Huh? How is my treating you badly make you happy? You a sadist or something?"

"No, but the fact that were comfortable enough to be upset with me and then share your issues with me makes me feel better. If we weren't close, you would have just stayed mad at me and not made an effort to fix it, right?"

He shrugged. "I guess so."

"See? Junpei, we're friends, right? So, you can tell me anything."

"I know. I just needed some time to think. Thanks." He grinned. "Let's go back to how things used to be between us, okay?"

"Well, I don't know if we can."

"Huh? Seriously?"

"No, I'm joking." She chuckled.

"Oh, damn you! Come on, let's get out of here.

Everyone met at the front gate, and Akihiko told them big news: Ikutsuki-san was waiting for them, and he had information about a new candidate to join them in Tartarus. Fuuka went back to the grounds to meet with Natsuki when she appeared, asking for help on some homework. Then, the Chairman appeared.

"Hey guys! I guess I should introduce you to him now."

A young boy, probably Maiko's age, was walking towards them behind Ikutsuki. He had short brown hair that flailed out on the bottom, and wide eyes; he wore an orange vest over an elementary school white uniform with a ribbon and pants.

"Hello." He said.

Ezi was standing next to Akihiko, and he seemed to shutter. She wondered if it was because it was just a small boy, this new candidate? She wasn't happy about it either.

"Oh, hey Ken-kun, what's up?" Yukari said.

"You know him?" Akihiko asked.

"He doesn't leave during the break because of his circumstances." Ikutsuki explained.

"Oh, I heard about that…" Yukari said weakly.

"It was only me and my mom, but she… she got in an accident, and she died. About two years ago."

Ikutsuki patted the young man's shoulder. "One of his distant relatives is paying for his school expenses. However, its not appropriate a boy his age be in the elementary dorms by himself, so I took the liberty of having him move into your dorm."

"Mr. Chairman-?" Ezi was uncomfortable.

"To our dorm? Do you really think that's a good idea?" Yukari added.

"Of course. He has the potential."

"You mean, he is the new candidate?" Akihiko roared.

Ikutsuki leaned down towards him. "Ken, would you call us a cab?"

"Y-yes sir. It was nice meeting you all." He bowed slightly and then went off to the curb.

"Yes, he's the new candidate. But as you can see, he's still a kid, so it is merely a possibility for now."

"Okay, so he won't be suddenly joining us in Tartarus?" Ezi pressed.

"Right. It would be best not to mention anything to him yet, either. He won't move in right away, either. Excuse me, I'll meet you at the dorms later." Ikutsuki joined Ken.

"Ken is going to be living with us in the dorms." Akihiko finalized.

"Looks that way. A-are you okay, sempai?"

"Uh, fine."

Ezi looked over to Ken. A small child, pulled into this? …It calmed her nerves to think about how they would be having a vacation soon.

For some reason, Akihik

Ezi, Yukari and Fuuka had gone swimsuit shopping on Sunday, at the Paulownia mall. The first thing Ezi got was a one piece with a shawl.

"No no no!" Yukari insisted. "You are cute, Ezi! You have to wear a two piece."

"B-but, I don't like bikinis! They're too revealing…"

"You've never worn one before? How do you expect to get a nice tan in a one piece?" She pushed her back into the dressing room and threw a red bikini into her. "Try it on! Trust me!"

"I've never bought a swimsuit outside of the school one for gym." Fuuka admitted.

"You have to get one too, Fuuka! Something that fits your slim figure!" Yukari decided.

Yukari was being wildly nice and exuberant all of a sudden. Ezi looked at her back in the mirror and sighed before walking out of the dressing room.

"See? You look adorable!" Yukari said. Was she blind? Ezi spun around. Surely, they would see it.

"It suits you, Ezi-san."

"Yeah, but, it shows too much…"

"It fits you just fine! It's not like it's a thong, it covers all your areas, and you look great!"

"Well, then thank you!" She looked at herself in the mirror again. She noticed she was more toned than she had been before she had come to the island, no doubt it was all the work they had done in Tartarus. They tried on more suits, until they finally picked the right ones.

Yukari nor Fuuka had said anything about the scar; the one slash that stretched on her back diagonally from her right shoulder to her left hip. Either they were being nice and not saying anything about the ghastly thing, or they really couldn't notice it… but how could you not?

"You're sure I look okay?"

"Heh, I've never seen our leader so timid before!" She teased. "You look beautiful, really!"

She'd have to take her word for it.

"T-thanks."

After shopping, Ezi left them for a moment to use the restroom… actually, to check on Theo to see if there was any requests she could do before they left. The three girls went to the Shrine to eat lunch, then said their farewells to each other to tend to their own responsibilities.

"I've got to grab some more supplies for the trip." Fuuka explained. "I'll see you two later!"

"Bye, Fuuka!" Yukari waved excitedly to her, and they seemed to watch her part before Yukari faced Ezi.

"Hey… I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was investigating the Kirijo group."

Ezi wasn't sure what to say yet.

"…To be honest, I thought since you took orders from the seniors so well, you might tell them what we were up to or something. But I know you just listened to them to keep the peace on our team and keep us safe in Tartarus; so, thank you."

"It's… you're welcome." She managed to say. "Yukari, my parents worked as scientists for Kirijo."

"Really? Mine too! I mean, my dad did before he…"

"I'm sorry to hear that. That's one of the reasons I came to this island to find some answers. My parents weren't working for Kirijo at the time of that explosion all those years ago, and we weren't even living in Japan apparently, but I still had to investigate since this was one of the last places they worked at before they went missing."

"Missing?"

"I know they're dead, but their bodies… were never found. They only found me on the streets back in America the night of the car accident they died in."

"Wow, that is mysterious…"

"Its one of the reasons why I was upset you didn't tell me. I really want to know what happened, and even though they weren't involved with Kirijo at the time, I can't just ignore this coincidence of our powers and finding the Dark Hour and using our Personas."

"You're right. Something still doesn't feel right about all of this, even though we know it was Kirijo that created the Dark Hour with their experiments, there is still more to be found out." Yukari nodded. "Let's find out together, okay?"

"Yeah." Ezi sighed. "I know Mitsuru may have been forced to use her Persona, but I still feel like her not telling us this before may cause a twinge in our trust in each other."

"You may be right."

Yukari left after their much-needed conversation, and Ezi searched for Maiko there, the little girl who had sent her a distressing text. She was wailing and sniffling and crying on the swing set, so Ezi sat on the swing beside her

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"My father hates me! He hit me!"

This concerned Ezi greatly. "What? How mean of him! Does he do that often?"

"N-no… but he did it because I asked him why they were getting a divorce!"

"Oh, I see…"

"What if they stop liking me the way they stopped liking each other?"

"They can't. It's a different kind of love they have for you, one that can't be turned off."

"But, everything's falling apart! I know, I should run away for the summer! Then maybe they'll miss me!"

"I don't think that's a good idea, honey."

Despite this, Maiko began a plan to do so. Ezi insisted she just stay at home, but Maiko wouldn't run away for a while, she said, since she would have to plan it out. Perhaps it was just a silly idea from a child's imagination, because she went home after they discussed it.

"I'll see you later, Ezi-chan!" Maiko waved to her as they stood on the path, then she waved to someone else sitting on the benches.

"Good bye, Mr. not sick guy!"

The thin young man with dull greyish-brown hair waved back to her. He had on a long sleeved grey shirt with vertical blue stripes, and black pants. He looked like Pharos for a moment.

"Hey…" Ezi approached a bit, staying on the path, but standing in front of him. "You know Maiko?"

"Yes. You're the friend that plays with her? She's told me all about you…"

"Really?"

"Yes. You have the energy of a child, and bright eyes. Your soul must be burning brightly."

"I'd like to think so." For some reason, she wasn't startled by his odd way of speaking—it actually intrigued her. This guy was probably in the same age range as her anyway, not some creepy man at all.

She walked closer. "Are you okay? It's a bit hot out here to be wearing that."

"The me I see reflected in your eyes, and the real me—if there is such a thing- How far apart are they?"

"Uh… Three light years?"

"Yeah, that's about right… A long, sad distance to travel."

"It could be sad… or, it could be sad, and have a meaning of sorts to discover, despite the journey."

He furrowed his brows. This boy was truly sad.

"Your words… I wish I could write them down, but I don't have a pen."

"You're a writer?"

"Yes… I've always used my fountain pen, but I can't find it—it has red ink, blood red. Without it, my screams are silenced."

"Damn. If I can find it, I'll surely give it to you."

"Thank you." He nodded gently.

She decided to leave the mysterious, harmless boy be. She thought about his odd presence, and weak demeanor all the way to the strip mall. She went to buy some manga—light reading adventures and romance for their trip to Yakushima—and then she went to feed the cat. This time, she had the cat food in a small jar in her purse, with a bowl.

"Here kitty, kitty…" She had wandered all over until she was in the outskirts. The thin kitty was sitting behind some boxes, out of the hot sun.

"Aww, c'mere." She tapped the bowl the food was in, then slid it gently towards the cat. It limped over to the bowl and started eating it quickly. "Poor, thing, you must be starving. Why didn't Theo ask me to do this sooner?" She stayed crouch down in front of the bowl, watching the cat scarf the food down.

"You'll get sick if you eat that fast! Relax, kitty." She pondered everything that had happened up to this point. "I guess we both have our own challenges, huh? I don't know what to look for anymore… "

"What are you doing?"

She stood up and turned towards the gruff voice. "Oh, it's just you. I'm talking to a cat, what does it look like I'm doing?"

It was the tall figure, Shinjiro, Akihiko's acquaintance.

"You had better be glad it's just me. Didn't I tell you kids not to come back here again?"

"I can handle those thugs, alright?"

"Are you serious? Leave, now."

"I'm busy, mind your own business and leave me alone, will ya?"

He grumbled. "Sorry, I can't do that. You have to go, before those punks show up."

"What is your deal? Trust me, if they show up again, I'll kick their asses!"

"What is wrong with you? Do you just blindly go into dangerous places like this?"

She didn't know how to explain to him she could fight better than five idiots in a gang… especially if she didn't understand the ability herself.

"I know it is, but… I promised someone I would feed this cat, and I wouldn't say I could protect myself if I didn't mean it. Please don't worry about someone like me."

"Hmph, I'm not. But if you get hurt here, Akihiko might get mad at me."

"You jerk! If that's all you care about, then go!"

"What? Come on I didn't mean it like that—"

"You did too! Now I appreciate your help before, but I don't need it now."

He rubbed his forehead and grunted. "Why the hell are you so stubborn?"

"Am I giving you a headache? Then shoo!"

" _Shoo?"_

"You don't need to look out for me, I am the leader of SEES after all. If I was completely stupid, I would be dead by now!"

"Is that so…" He seemed to be pondering something, then his grey eyes turned to her face, and she didn't move. Her eyes remained locked with his. He was angry, calm—His dark gaze caught her off guard, and she couldn't breathe.

"Huh. Alright, good luck then." With his hands in his pockets he shooed off.

He was unfathomable, that one. She exhaled.

Shinjiro… he had given her the same look in the hospital room, when she had met him for the first time. She shook off the chills she had and waited for the cat to finish eating. She saw three lost souls with Apathy Syndrome at the station on the way home. The next day, they would embark on their trip to Yakushima. Everyone in the dorm was buzzing and preparing for the exciting trip. They all agreed to go to Tartarus when they returned from their relaxing vacation, hopefully feeling replenished to fight the monsters of the impossible night again.

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 **.**

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Inside the Yakushima-bound ferry, the SEES team sat together in the front of the ferry, soaking in the sun and ocean breeze. The green forested island was bundled like a curly head sticking out of the blue, clear sea, and white clouds bore behind it from the sky.

"There it is! **YA-KU-SHI-MAAAA**!" Junpei darted forward to lean over at the front of the helm.

Ezi noticed Yukari and Mitsuru were not talking to one another, still. They docked and carried their belongings to the Kirijo mansion, near the top of the island on its own private property. The entrance was dazzled with white marble walls and pillars, with fichus hanging from pots on the ceilings above them. The mansion was truly extravagant.

Maids that escorted them further into one of the many living rooms, where an impressive looking man seemed to be waiting for them, greeted them. He had on a suit, brown hair, and seemed to age well, with sharp cheekbones. He had on his right eye, an eye patch—probably from being the only survivor from the Shadow experiments.

"…Its good to see you." Mitsuru dropped her bag and bowed slightly forward to the man. He took a moment to scan all of them, then he went to another room.

"Was that..?" Fuuka whispered.

"Her father?" Yukari finished.

"Dude, talk about scary! I hope he doesn't make us walk the plank!"

"Junpei!" Ezi disapproved.

"Don't be stupid." Akihiko added. The maids escorted them to their rooms upstairs, and they didn't hesitate to prepare to go the beach, probably because Junpei was demanding they go like a little, excited child. As she changed, Ezi decided she would try to look her best in the suit she had bought with the other girls—maybe Akihiko would—Well, never mind.

"Junpei's gonna be an idiot when we get there," Yukari said first. She, Fuuka and Ezi walked ahead of Mitsuru, per her request, in their suits and sandals and towels, on the path down to the beach.

"This place is so green! All of these tropical plants, too." Fuuka analyzed.

There was something unsettling about being out in the trees to Ezi. It made the day seem darker than it was with all of the shade, and the roots and spiraling tree trunks made the place alive, as if spirits were watching them.

"…I wish we had a beach ball! We have to play games or something when we get there!" She decided.

"Games?" Yukari scoffed. "What are you, eight?"

"Maybe!"

"Sometimes, you sound like Junpei… We can get a beach ball at one of the shops."

"Yes!"

"We should try going to a few places here!" Somehow, Fuuka had a pamphlet. "There's a museum, some small shops and waterfalls… I heard this place even inspired that anime movie…"

They went to the shops on the western side, near the beach. Ezi bought her beach ball, and it was easy to find Akihiko and Junpei talking on the beach when they arrived.

"I got sand between mah toes! YAKUSHIMAAA!"

"Could he be any louder?" Yukari placed the sunglasses on her head over her eyes. "Yikes, what's with Akihiko-sempai's swimsuit? I can feel my face getting red just looking at it."

It was definitely not appealing. He was practically naked, and the only thing covering him was the black panty-like trunks he had on. At least Junpei was wearing shorts for his trunks.

"Yo! About time you guys got here." Akihiko said. The girls seemed to look down for a moment at him, then back up. "Something wrong, guys?"

Yukari rubbed her cheek. "That's a pretty small… swimsuit."

"Dude, you might as well be in girl's underwear." Ezi admitted. She should have been more impressed with his slim body, but he was so pale in the sun… and that damn suit…

"What, don't you know? Swimsuits like this reduce water resistance and—"

"That's okay, it doesn't need to be justified!" Yukari clarified. Junpei was gawking at them like he was charmed again. His cheeks were bright red.

She turned to him. "Why do you look dumber than usual?"

"Maaan, talk about a feast for the eyes. Yuka-tan's more of an aggressive model than I had imagined. Could her boldness come from the confidence that her club training has toned her bod?"

"What?" Yukari had on a pink two-piece with turquoise straps.

"And check out our leader! She's one cute mermaid herself!"

Ezi suit was a two piece with little frilly on the end of it, and a white and pink checker pattern. She turned red for a moment.

"Those curves she usually covered up are lookin' good! I can't tear my eyes away!"

"I don't know how I look like a mermaid… but, thanks?"

Fuuka looked around for a moment. "Is that umbrella and chair taken?"

"Ooh, and here we have the lovely Miss Yamagishi!" She had on her mint two piece with a shash around her waist. "Wow, Fuuka, I had no idea you were hiding such a beautiful body!"

"Geez!" She blushed.

"Oh come on, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!" He insisted, chuckling.

"Stop that creepy laugh, you perv!" Yukari snapped.

"What is this to you, a swim suit modeling competition?" Ezi demanded.

"Is something wrong over here?" Mitsuru stepped out from the forest. Her lovely cherry hair flowed perfectly with her white Bandeau two piece, complemented by the red zinna flower curled above her left breast on her suit.

"Wow, Mitsrur-sempai, you're gorgeous!" Fuuka said.

"Yeah, you're skin is flawless! Did you already put on sunscreen?" Yukari asked.

"Oh, n-no, not yet."

"10 out of 10!" Ezi gave her a thumb-up. "Love the flower!" Mitsuru probably was the most sophisticated and beautiful one out of all of them. Figured.

Junpei tried to whisper as he spoke to Akihiko. "Dude, level with me here… Which one's your type?"

The boys started whispering to each other, then Junpei jumped up.

"H-huh? Really? No way!"

"K-keep your voice down!"

"Man, really? No joke? That's almost too funny, because-"

"What are you smirking about now?" Yukari interrupted them, and Ezi secretly wondered what Akihiko had said to Junpei.

"Nothing." Junpei was still smiling wildly. "Uh, race you to the water for a swim, dude!" He bolted for the ocean.

"Whoa, I'm not letting you win that easily!" Akihiko ran after him.

She felt a shiver as the wind passed by, and she could hear the trees shaking behind them. She turned around to the empty nature. It was too quiet there, as if someone was watching them.

"Damn! Its cold water! But so refreshing!" Junpei kicked his feet up as he stood in the water.

The feeling subsided, and she sat down to get a tan for a moment with Yukari. Fuuka played with the sand, and Mitsuru had some light reading as she lay in the chair under he umbrella.

"I'm gonna go grab something." Yukari got up from her towel, leaving Ezi alone. She wondered if someone had been watching them in the forest earlier, and looked around, turning her head like a surveillance camera.

"Yo." Akihiko stood beside her, thankfully, with his red shirt on for the moment. "You okay? You seem paranoid."

"Uh, just a feeling." She didn't know what else to say.

He sighed. "Everyone seems to be having fun… that's a good thing, I guess."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"All I want to do ever is train, but, our operations during the Dark Hour put a lot of stress on us. You should try to relax a little, and rest up."

"Say that to yourself! I'm okay…" She wasn't sure. "I guess I'm always on the alert!"

"Fighting does that to you."

"Meh, we can still have fun!"

After a while, the girls dipped their feet into the water as well.

"What are you two weirdos doing over here?" Yukari asked the boys.

"Yukari, look out!" Ezi stepped in front of her, before Junpei's splashing could reach her. "Ugh! I've been hit!" She sank slowly and dramatically into the water. "Good bye, cruel world! I shall be resurrected into a swan!"

"Seriously?" Yukari groaned.

"Yeah! That's one down!" Junpei cackled. "No one can resist splashing girls on the beach! I'm gonna splash more water on all of youuu!"

"Oh, Ezi-san!" Fuuka said. "Don't worry, I'll avenge you!" She took off her skirt and ran into the water, splashing the boys.

"Oh, you're all being silly!" Yukari said. "But I can't let Junpei splash me first! You're gonna pay for that, take this!"

They all ran into the water, splashing and kicking through the waves. Mitsuru took out the beach ball, and Ezi showed them how to play _TIPS_ for a while, then they tried to catch some high waves to surf on their bellies.

Yukari and Fuuka began pouring sand onto Junpei from the neck down, turning his body into a naked mermaid. Mitsuru and Ezi did the same to Akihiko, but they tried morphing the sand into a body builder.

"I've got sand everywhere." Akihiko carped.

"Just wash it off in the ocean. Baby." Ezi teased.

"I got a picture of both of them in the sand!" Yukari declared. "Too perfect. I could use it as blackmail when they decide to do pervy things!"

"I don't know. I think my mermaid side is my best side." Junpei nodded proudly.

The sun was setting when they all decided to return to the mansion. Ezi showered first and got out to explore the mansion, and something pulled her to the entrance. She stepped outside and noticed Kirijo-san talking to someone.

"…to trust others, Mitsuru. There are things in this life you cannot accomplish alone, no matter how many sacrifices you make…"

Ezi froze, Mitsuru was in a white turtle neck, speaking with her father on the bottom of the steps.

"Oh, s-sorry!"

He gave her a wry look. "That's alright. Come here, young lady."

She pulled herself down the steps. "N-nice to meet you, sir."

"You're Elizabeth Leon, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Interesting." He turned to Mitsuru. "By the way, that's another thing. Why didn't you just ask me directly, rather than go behind my back and search through our databases for information?"

"I… didn't want to disturb you, father."

He sighed, disapprovingly. "I have no intention of hiding the truth from any of them. Takeba is in the group too, correct? And she has the potential as well… I wonder…"

There was a pause.

"Sir? Mister Kirijo—"

"I'm not sure what your direct involvement to all of this is, Leon." He said. "Your parents were scientists, that I know—but they were not with us when we began the Shadow experiments. I'm sure you've already seen their records—it must have said they were employed by Kirijo, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"But, they were really working with the Nanjo Group: the company we were partnered with for years before we went on our own. Our Kirijo section did most of the hiring, so it makes sense that their files say that they were with us, however, they had nothing to do with the Shadow experiments."

She grimaced.

Had she come to Port Island for no reason?

"Oh, I see."

"I hate to be forward, but may I ask of their passing?"

"Father-?"

"No, it's okay." Ezi answered. "Car accident. Apparently, I was in the car, but I don't remember any of it. They found me on the street, and I guess the car went flying somewhere else."

Mitsuru had a pained look on her face.

"I-it happened when I was very little, though! About 14 years ago."

"I see… They had nothing to do with the Shadow project, and yet, here you are… with a potential even greater than my own daughter's."

They must been talking about her quite a bit. She couldn't help but wonder what this meant in terms of her journey for the truth, now—

"I'll be inviting everyone to a meeting tonight after dinner." He walked back in first. "See you there."

They were all gathered by a surprise invitation in the reception room. Everyone sat on the yellow couches, surrounding a projector screen, where Mr. Kirijo was standing.

"Good evening," he said.

"G-good evening sir!" Junpei replied the loudest. "Man, this guy's creepy." He whispered to Ezi on the couch.

"Shhh!" She nudged him.

"I take it Mitsuru gave you the short version… It's all true. We adults are to blame. I wish I could atone it with my life. Now, I have no choice but to rely on all of you."

No one said a word as he continued.

"My father wanted to create a time manipulation device. I can imagine he wanted to shape the future to his liking, and stop catastrophic events. After things like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the government began funding science groups like ours for a solution to counter such attacks before they even happen."

"Damn, that's insane." Junpei commentated.

"However, my father's madness for this power strayed the project from its original goals." He turned the light switch off, and the projector turned on.

"This is a recording from the incident 14 years ago. It's the only footage found from the wreckage by a scientist that worked on the project."

"A film?" Mitsuru didn't seem to know what it was either. Everyone wiggled in their seats as he turned on the TV and a fuzzy, shaky video began.

 _"I pray this gets in the right hands!"_ The man on the screen said. It was too scratched to see his face just yet. _"This is all of my fault, my employer has pushed the experiments on the Shadows, and they have gone completely out of control! All of the experiments and tests subjects, my colleagues and friends… they are all gone."_

There was a loud siren blaring in the back, and the red lights were flashing all over the screen, with faint screaming behind it. The man had moved the camera so it had stopped moving and it was focused on his face, which they could see now. Yukari gasped.

"I had to stop it, or the world would have paid a terrible price! _Listen! What we have done here can be undone! In order for this nightmare to end, you MUST defeat the Shadows that dispersed from here! You must do it! Otherwise, it will be the end of everything! Please! It is my last request… this is all my fault in my promise for success… I'm so sorry…"_

The video ended after a loud explosion. The lights came back on into the room. Everyone was silent.

"…Dad…" Yukari whispered. Ezi was sitting to the left of her, and she could see a tear had fallen from her cheek.

"What? That was, your-?" Ezi was speechless. Perhaps that's why Yukari could fight during the Dark Hour, because her father was directly involved.

"His name was Eiichiro Takeba, talented, and head of research. But, we were the ones responsible. We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijo Group is to blame for his death."

"My dad caused it all? The Dark Hour, Tartarus, the deaths?"

"Yukari, are you okay?" Akihiko asked. Ezi tried to comfort her, but she stood up and turned to Mitsuru.

"So that's why you were hiding all of this? Because you felt sorry for me? Is that it?"

"No, Takeba, I-"

"I don't want your pity!" She ran out of the room.

"Takeba!"

The room fell silent again.

"Ezi-san?" Mitsuru said. "Would you please, go after her? You'll have more success in bringing her back than me."

"Uh, sure." Ezi got up and ran after her.

Surely, Kirijo wasn't lying to her about her parents if he was so able to tell the truth about Yukari's dad. He had no reason to lie to Ezi about her own.

She had her flip-flops on and was annoyed she had to drag through the forest with them on, until finally she found Yukari sitting on the beach.

The water was dark, and the waves splashed against the girl's toes against the pale moonlight.

"Ezi? Leave me alone!" She had her knees up and her head in between them, covering her face.

"It's not safe to be out here alone, Yukari." Ezi sat in the same position next to her.

"All of this time, I believed in him… but, because of his death at the explosion, people were suspicious of my mother and I, we always had to move because of it."

"…I see."

"All of this time I thought he would be proud of me, but he's the reason we're all doing this! And even so, I'm still mad… it was the Kirijo Group that originally started the experiments, so why? Why was it just my dad? I'm so jealous of Mitsuru, y'know… she's not poor, and fatherless, like me…I almost wished… it had been Mitsuru's father instead… I'm horrible, aren't I?"

"No, that's not true-"

"Stop acting like you have all of the answers!" Yukari yelled. "You make everything seem easy, you and Mitsuru! Mitsuru has the life I could have had, but because my father died, my mother and I were abandoned, and she took her frustration out on me! It's not fair, I…" She wiped her eyes. "I'm really useless, especially compared to her, here or in the Dark Hour…"

"Yukari…" Ezi sighed. "Its not easy, but its how you face the challenges that matters."

"I'm sorry. I should be used to it by now. But you understand… your parents died too. I guess you're right."

"I'm sorry you found out the truth, but are you just going to give up, then? Don't you want to do right, regardless of the circumstances? We need you, Yukari…"

"Ezi…" She hugged her, a motion Ezi hadn't expected. "Thank you."

"….Heeeey, Yukari! Ezi-chan!" Junpei came running from the forest. "There you are! Come on, it's almost Dark Hour! 'Can't have you girls out here all by yourself."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that no matter where we go, the Dark Hour will be there." Yukari said. They got up, dusting the sand from them. "You know what I was thinking? Once you release your Persona in the Dark Hour, you remember everything that happens. It's like losing your innocence—In exchange for power, you can no longer look away from the things you don't want to see."

That confirmed it for Ezi. "I was looking for answers, and the search for the truth brought me here—I couldn't give up on them now. We still need your help!"

"…So I guess, I'm stuck with you guys, huh?"

"Yep!" Junpei said. "Now that that's settled, let's head back!"

Ezi walked behind them. There was that feeling again that there were inhuman eyes watching them through the thick green of the island. She shook it off, and they returned to the mansion for the night.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: How did the protagonist of p3 not know the end of the world was coming? I mean I thought Pharos was pretty clear... anyway I hope you liked this part! More drama on the beach in the next chapter: Aigis! Review please!


	13. Date 12: Aigis

A/N: review please! There are a lot of added scenes in this one! I hope you enjoy it!

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Date 12: Aigis

The girls were being watched as they began their hike. Ezi went with the other girls to see a large cryptomeria tree, considered a world heritage site. Mitsuru and Yukari had both been uncomfortably quiet the whole morning, causing Fuuka and Ezi to exchange glances when they didn't respond to them.

"The flowers here are so lovely! I didn't expect them to be so big, either!" Fuuka said.

"Yeah, this place is pretty cool. The outdoors and enchanting forests are so refreshing!" Ezi added, even though she didn't believe it.

It would have been more pleasant if Mitsuru and Yukari were quiet because they were enjoying the nature, but that wasn't the case.

Ezi sighed in defeat. It seemed there was still tension among Mitsuru and Yukari with all of the news.

She perked up. "Hey! An ice cream dots stand!"

"Ice cream dots?" Mitsuru said.

"Ahhh, you can speak!" Ezi said. "C'mere!" She wrapped her arm around Mitsuru and pulled her to the stand.

"Uh, look Yukari-chan!" Fuuka pulled her over to the Chrysanthemums that were growing in a glass garden to their left.

"I'll have one box of drops, please."

"Leon-san…isn't it a bit early to be eating ice cream?"

"…I won't tell if you won't." She winked at her and handed her the small box. "Besides, we're on vacation! What's the worst that can happen?"

"I've always considered being prepared for anything at anytime."

"Well, me too, but this is a small portion of ice cream, trust me. If Shadows wanted to come attack us, we could still fight 'em, cramp free!"

She chuckled. "Alright…" She grabbed the box, then her phone rang. "Um, will you excuse me?"

"Sure! I'm going on ahead, just catch up to me when you're done!" She left and Ezi began strolling, far beyond Fuuka and Yukari, she passed a couple on the path, then she was alone. She pondered how hard this news must have been for Yukari, and how she had had similar feelings towards her parents—

What?

Similar, feelings?

All she knew about her parents was that they were scientists, but they hadn't worked on the Shadow project. Ezi hadn't been living in Japan at the time of the explosion…

She sighed. All of this news and information was leading to something huge, but what? All of the pieces were not together yet.

She wandered through the forest path, lost in thought, and enjoying the quiet. The trees were tall, dark green, and lovely…

Through the trees and hill beside her and the path, there was a black figure in the trees. She gasped.

A hoodie.

The person was wearing a black hoodie, and they were facing her.

What a creepy thing to be wearing, was her first thought, then she looked around to make sure she wasn't surrounded, but there was no one else there except the dark cloaked figure.

"Hey, you!"

The hooded figure jolted back, and began running up the hill, away from the path.

"Hey, get back here! Who are you?"

She could very well be running into a trap, she would be prepared, she thought. She hopped up the hill, struggling up the steep inclined earth, seeing the hooded figure disappear over the hill. She was breathing heavily, finally reaching the top, but the hooded person was gone.

A black hood? She had never seen…no, she HAD seen that before. It wasn't a normal hood, either. The jacket seemed to drape down to their feet. It was some kind of uniform, she was certain…

There was rustling in the bushes beside her.

A girl appeared.

Her hair as golden and skin as pale as the sun, and she was wearing a sky blue dress. Her clear azure eyes were fixed on Ezi.

"Um, hello." She said to the girl. "Hey, did you see a person in a black hood come by here?"

"Finally, I have found you." The girl said, monotonously.

"Huh?" The girl ran up to her, and she was prepared to punch her, but her movement was not threatening, and she wrapped her arms around Ezi.

"Uh?"

"I have been searching for you. My highest priority is to be with you."

"Hey, wait!" Junpei and Akihiko came leaping through the bushes in their swim trunks. "There she is! Wait, what? What is going on here?"

"You tell me… she won't let go!" Ezi cried.

"Oh, so that's her preference." Akihiko said, referring to the strange girl. "No wonder she wasn't into us."

"Oh, Ezi-tan? You know this girl?" Junpei asked.

"I, no?" She tried to wiggle free, but the girl continued to hold her.

"There you are!" Yukari and Fuuka approached from the trail in front of them. "We heard you yell and we got worried… Why are you boys in your trunks in the middle of the forest? And why is that girl hugging you, Ezi-san?"

"Uh, she says I'm her priority. Wait! Do you know me? What's your name?"

The girl's grip loosened, but she continued to hold Ezi. It was a party then, as Mitsuru appeared as well with the Chairmen.

Mitsuru had a stern expression as she gave direction. "I'm sorry everyone, but we'll have to cut this vacation short and grab our weapons, apparently, there is a weapon on the loose and we have to capture it."

"Actually, that won't be necessary now, Kirijo-san." Ikutsuki said. "Aigis, you know you're not supposed to leave the lab on your own."

The girl turned her head towards the Chairmen, still hugging Ezi. "I know."

"You need to come back with me to the lab. You can see these guys again later tonight."

"She works in the lab here?" Akihiko said. "Maybe that's why she's so weird…"

"I cannot leave her side." Aigis said.

"Um, don't I have a say in this relationship?" Ezi said, jokingly.

"Interesting… one of her personality cords must be malfunctioning." Ikutsuki said. "Come along, Aigis. We'll check you out, make sure everything is okay, then we'll see them later."

She finally let go of Ezi. "Alright. I shall return for a proper introduction."

The Chairman faded down the path with the Aigis girl.

"What a mysterious and odd cutie…" Junpei said seriously.

"That was weird. She acted strangely." Fuuka said.

Maybe Aigis was the one who had felt was watching her, or had it been the person in the black hoodie?

"Well, we better get moving to that tree. I guess the Chairman will tell us tonight and we can talk to Aigis then." Yukari darted for the path. "Boys, you stand out. You should go back to the beach."

"Don't hate us cuz you ain't us." Junpei struck a pose. "Still, she was mega cute! Hey girls, you should come to the beach soon!"

"We're not gonna be eye candy for you until you can see your precious Aigis again, Junpei!" Ezi retorted. "Oh, by the way, did any of you see anyone else off the path on your way here?"

"Other than Aigis? No." Akihiko answered. "Everything okay?"

The black figure… she had seen darts of it in Tartarus before, and now here? Pharos had not mentioned anything about another person of darkness. That's what they were.

Darkness.

"I'm fine… I'll see you guys later!" She left them to regroup with the girls.

As Akihiko watched her leave, Junpei slithered beside him with a sly grin.

"I know who you wanted to see at the beach again, sempai." He taunted.

"Shut up! It would be nice, but let's just give them some space…"

The girls made it to the large plant that looked like a huge, pointed Christmas tree. It was the largest Japanese cedar in the entire forest, and it hovered over all of the trees around it. The girls sat and ate a boxed lunch on the benches near the monument. Other people were strolling near them and taking pictures of it.

"I'm glad Junpei isn't here!" Fuuka tried more conversation. "He was being such a pervert yesterday. Its nice to get a break here in this quiet place."

"Oh, yeah." Yukari wasn't interested.

"Uh… I never went to cool places like this as a kid! My parents were really strict, but I'm glad to be here now to see this."

"Me too, Fuuka!" Ezi added. "Um…"

They settled to eating their food for a while. They finished and walked quietly through the mist as they headed down the path back to the mansion, where they settled in to doing some of their own activities. There was no perking Mitsuru or Yukari up just yet. Ezi read some manga, then went outside to the back court yard to take in the nature. The stillness of the air was unpleasant, but she wanted to be alone.

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That night, they regrouped at the reception room without Mr. Kirijo present. The Chairman had appeared with Aigis and they were standing in the middle of the room.

"Everyone, this is Aigis." Ikutsuki introduced the girl from earlier, but she looked quite different.

Her head was still the same, but without her blue dress, they could see her red tie around her neck, and white-plated torso. Her arms and legs were attached to her metal body through round sockets that were encircled by golden patterned joints.

"She's so cute, but she's a robot?" Junpei said sadly.

"Now her speech makes more sense." Yukari shrugged.

"Aigis is a mechanical maiden." Ikutsuki explained.

"She's amazing! She looks so, human!" Fuuka commented.

"I am Aigis. I am an anti-shadow artificial intelligence that specializes in weaponry and the essential energy in summoning a Persona. My top priority is to destroy Shadows."

"Whoa, she has a Persona too?" Junpei exclaimed.

"Palladion is my Persona." She said. "I have been assigned to SEES effective immediately."

"She's gonna help us fight Shadows? This is unbelievable." Akihiko said.

"Anti-Shadow weapons like her were created 14 years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows during the experiments. She was damaged in battle, but we don't know why she reactivated herself here in the storage unit. Either way, we had some scientists check her out, and she's ready to work again."

"Well, that's great," Yukari said, "But um, how come she acted like she knew you today?" The question was directed towards Ezi.

"Yes," Aigis responded, "it is important for me to be by her side."

"It could be her identification systems are malfunctioning. There wasn't anything wrong though when we checked her. Interesting…"

"I don't think that's it…" Yukari disagreed. "…It's like, she's obsessed with her or something."

Ezi looked into the blue, artificial eyes. They looked so real, every line and detail in the iris was perfection.

"Aigis…it's nice to meet you—uh, officially." Ezi said respectfully. "But, how come I'm your priority?"

"Because I am meant to protect you."

"We're just going in circles with her." Ikutsuki decided.

"Maybe she's attached to her because Ezi's the best fighter out of all of us." Junpei concluded.

"I'm not that much better…"

"Don't be so modest." He pressed.

"Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact I can summon more than one Persona?"

"That could be it. I will look into the matter later, though." Ikutsuki clapped his hands. "By the way, did you all know there were some recreational activities to do here? There's a tennis court, a gym, and even a Karaoke machine. Would you all care to hear me sing?"

Junpei made a terrified look. "Umm…"

"You all can count on me. I will do my best in the fight against the Shadows. It is my duty."

"See that you do," Mitsuru said, still analyzing Aigis, "we're glad to have you."

The rest of the night the gang ate dinner and asked Aigis many questions about her being a robot; this was probably their only chance encounter of such artificial intelligence, after all.

"Do you have lasers that shoot from your eyes? What does your Persona look like?"

"You ask too many questions, Stupei."

"Hey, after dinner, maybe we should play a game! This is our last night here."

"Like what, Ezi-san?" Fuuka was interested.

"Yeah, good idea! We could do some kind of competition!" Junpei added.

"We're not going to model for you!" Yukari snapped.

"Come on, nothing like that! Like our leader said… a game."

"How about we use the tennis courts? Boys versus girls!"

"You guys seriously want to play a game?" Akihiko grumbled.

"Why not? It's our last night here! Come on, we could all use it!" Ezi proclaimed. "The team that loses has to carry the other team's luggage back to the ferry, and the dorm!"

"I like it!" Junpei agreed.

"How are you not tired from all of that hiking we did today?" Yukari carped. "You guys have fun… I'm going to turn in early."

Mitsuru and Yukari went to bed early. Fuuka stood by the sidelines to cheer on Aigis and Ezi, and Akihiko and Junpei were on the other side of the net.

"I don't know how to score in tennis!" Ezi admitted.

"Me neither… Shall we just go to 10 points?"

"Sounds good, boys! Get ready to get your asses kicked!" She turned to the robot. "Aigis, are you ready?"

"Yes, although I am uncertain of the significance to this form of action."

"It's just for fun. Remember: keep your eye on the ball, and make sure you hit it into their side of the court!"

"Confirmed."

"Good luck, girls!" Fuuka praised.

"Man, I wish she was cheerleading for us." Junpei whined.

Ezi served it, and Akhiko managed to whack it back, rather hard. It bounced back in her direction, and she was ready for it, but Aigis stepped in front of her. She jumped in the air as the tennis ball bounced off the ground, and served it back.

The boys yelled in unison as they avoided the meteor that seemed to come down on them. There was steam and rubble from the crater Aigis had made by imbedding the tennis ball into the ground, because she had hit it so hard.

Everyone took a moment of shock to understand what had just happened.

"Game set." Aigis said with certainty.

"Uh… I guess we won?"

"Hey, that's not fair at all!"

Junpei tried to pull the ball out of the concrete. "Ouch, hot!"

"…We should try another game then."

They went to the fire pit and Fuuka and Ezi played Crazy 8's against the boys, while Aigis simply observed. They did a few rounds, until the victors reigned victorious, and moments of laughter and competitive altercations that filled the void. They stayed up through the Dark Hour as Junpei told scary stories and they ate s'mores, then turned in for the night.

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The next day would be their last day for relaxation, so they went to the beach again.

"Oh man, I can't believe its day three already. I wish we could stay longer!"

"How do you still have so much energy? We were up so late last night." Akihiko carped.

Junpei began splashing Yukari and Fuuka again.

"I'm gonna get you cuties!" He exclaimed creepily.

"Junpei, stop! Aigis, help!" Yukari declared.

"I will do my best in assisting in the prevention of being splashed." Aigis jumped into the water as well.

"Wow, she really is amazing," Akihiko said. He, Ezi and Ikutsuki were standing under the umbrella.

"Well, I should go relax somewhere too." Ikustuki said. "Don't forget the time the boat is leaving later today, alright?"

"Yeah, we got it." Akihiko said, and Ikutsuki-san left.

The wind was blowing and everything was silent, besides the distant screaming and yelling of the others in the water. Ezi stretched, then started to head towards them.

"Ezi? Hold on, sit down for a minute." Akihiko sat on the towel under the umbrella.

She joined him. "Okay."

"These past couple of days really have been amazing, huh?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah, they have,"

"You don't sound very happy about it. Have you been having a good time?"

"Oh, yes! D-don't get me wrong, sempai, I have enjoyed the relaxation here!"

"But?"

She brought her knees up to her face. "I've been on a beach before, but I don't know when or where."

"What do you mean?"

"I just can't seem to remember the last time I was on a beach, that's all. What if the memory was something important?"

He chuckled. "It couldn't have been all that relevant if you forgot about it."

She had never thought of her missing memories in that way, even though they seemed to plague her.

"…Maybe you're right. I thought I'd find more answers here, but instead we've all been caught up in this mess with the Dark Hour and Tartarus."

"Yeah, but we're the only ones who can do it. Don't tell me Yukari got to you?"

"Oh, no. I'm glad I can help, you're right. It's an important job."

"What do you think of Aigis?"

"She's cool, I can't wait to see what she does against the Shadows."

"Y-yeah, me neither." He sighed. "C-can I ask you something?"

"Of course," She turned to him and smiled, "'beats beating around the bush."

"It's just… what happened to your back? H-how did you get that..?"

Ezi looked out into the glistening ocean, the silhouettes of her newfound companions chasing each other across the sun.

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"This scar- I got it when I was a little girl, and I can't remember how. Weird, huh? It's caused me so much ugliness, yet I have no idea where I got it. Maybe it happened when my parents died, but I can't remember."

"Your parents?" He paused. Maybe she hadn't told him about that yet, and it was second time she had to mention it on vacation.

"…It doesn't make you look ugly," he said first, "U-um, that is, its part of you, and you don't look any different with it."

She looked at him, seeing he had his head turned away from her. "Thanks, senpai."

They sat under the umbrella for a while and talked about school and the weather, then they joined the others in the water. They watched Aigis shoot water at Junpei like a fire hose with her hand-gun she had turned into a "squirt" gun, blasting him all the way across the waves.

"Here's our chance for an all-out-attack!" Yukari declared.

"Everyone strike!" Ezi and Fuuka helped Yukari push Junpei into the water and splash his face.

"I can't take this, seriously!" He wailed. Everyone ended up in the water, swimming in waves and splashing one another, or just catching the seas shells that swayed with the sea. Ezi enjoyed the time with her friends. With Aigis joining, things were likely going to get livelier. With a few more sunrays captured, and a last look at the shore, they left he beach and prepared to leave the tropical island for good.

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"Ezi-san, wake up. Ezi-san, wake up. Ezi-san, wake up. Ezi-san, wake up…"

"Noooo…" She groaned. Aigis was shaking her from her sleep. How she had gotten into her room was of little concern to Ezi, it was too early to solve such a circumstance.

"Good, you have awakened properly." Aigis said. "Mission accomplished."

"Aigis? Why are you here?"

"My highest priority is-"

"Is to be by my side! Yeah, I know, I know!"

"Ezi!" Yukari barged in. "Sorry but we can't find Aigis! We think she might have wandered off like on the island—Oh, she's here?"

"Sleeeep." Ezi groaned.

"Aigis! How did you get in here?"

"I simply unlocked the door. It only takes two minutes to get through a locked door, and I needed to be by Ezi's side."

"This again?" Yukari sighed. "That's unlawful entry!"

"If possible, I will keep my charging facilities here within the same confines of Ezi."

"Stay in here? No way!"

"I must keep watch of Ezi-san, so this solution is best."

"Well, you're both girls, so I don't see what the problem is… Ezi, what do you say?"

Ezi sat up from her bed. "Um, I need my own space, Aigis." She admitted.

"Alright, then, I will have a room for you prepared on this floor close to Ezi's room. How does that sound, Aigis?"

"Very well."

Ezi smiled. Aigis was interesting, to say the least. And now, they had a new roommate to help defeat the shadows of the night.

Despite her lack of humanity, Aigis was far from harmless.

It felt brutal to walk back to school. Ezi was still thinking about how much fun they had had on their vacation. Before they got on the station, Ezi spotted Aigis spying on them from afar, so they had to take her back to the dorm. They barely made it to class as the morning bell rang.

The day dragged as beaches and card games clouded her mind, also the thought what would happen once they defeated all the Shadows—

When school ended, Yukari seemed more refreshed.

"Hey, Ezi. My mind is still buzzing about everything that happened."

"Me too. I can't focus in class."

"Well, that's a shocker, considering you scored highest."

"On what?"

"The exams, remember? How did you score the highest when you don't even pay attention to these sort of things?"

"I forget to look."

"Well anyway, I can't focus on studying. Want to go catch a movie instead?"

"Yeah, that actually sounds good."

Yukari didn't mention all that had happened when they went to see the romantic action movie about a double agent who fell for the enemy. It was cliché, but rather funny to see corny love scenes tie into the action and explosions. They went to the florist after that.

"Are you getting flowers for a boy?"

"What? No!" Yukari led her to the florist on the second lower section of Port Island station. Ezi thought about feeding the cat, but she didn't want to go to the outskirts where Yukari could be in danger.

There were wooden carts of flowers all throughout the outside of the store. It was like being in a beautiful garden.

"I love flowers. They are so bold and colorful. I wish I had a room full of flowers. I always wanted a garden, but my mom and I moved too much."

"I see…"

"What's your favorite flower, Ezi?"

"Hm… probably sunflowers! They're full of energy and bright like the sun!"

"That sounds like it fits you." She chuckled. "Maybe I'll own my own garden, someday."

"Yeah!" She could see Yukari smiling sadly.

"It's gonna be okay. We only have six more Shadows to go!"

"Still… how can stand working with me? If my father hadn't worked on the project, we may not even be here."

"Maybe you should think more like Junpei. He thinks we have a purpose fighting in Tartarus."

"What does that mean? I know it was my father's doing… but, I can't help but feel like its my fault."

"Only because your family was directly involved. Mitsuru probably feels bad too, even though she wasn't directly responsible. You guys are connected."

Yukari nodded, because there was more to that she wanted to add, but decided not to.

"Hey ladies! Certain bouquets are on sale today!"

"Alright! I want the one with the tulips!" Yukari decided. "What? They're that expensive?"

The girls ended up buying cheap bouquets to display in a vase in their dorm rooms, and headed back.

The second they opened the door, they were immediately greeted by Aigis, who was standing on the other side.

"You have returned safely."

"I told you I would."

"Dudes, Aigis wants to go to Tartarus tonight! I agree 100%."

"We do need to see the new section." Akihiko agreed.

Ezi slowly nudged Aigis over so they could enter, as she continued to stare blankly at them. "Um, agreed. Let's go."

That night, they prepared themselves to enter Tartarus. Yukari stayed behind with Fuuka to stand guard for Shadows, and the others went in with Aigis. The bars that blocked the flat, purple pathway to the next floor dropped down to their feet, and they walked with caution to the next floor.

It was serene, tranquil: the third block of Tartarus, the Yabbashah. The cool blue and green tint that stretched across the deco-like walls, illuminated with shapes and plastered stairway designs that stretched to the roof.

"Interesting. I'd like to meet the architecture." Ezi said.

"There's a strong presence on one of the floors above! Be careful."

"Alright, you ready, Aigis?"

"I am prepared."

They first saw Insidious, blue masked Maya with large Shouting Tiaras that floated in one room. The Mayas summoned fire, setting fire to Ezi's arm—Mitsuru summoned her Persona to blast her with a light breeze of bufuru ice, and cut the fire away. Akihiko summoned his and blasted the Mayas with mazio, burning them to a quick crisp.

"Palladion!" Aigis raised her arms out and lifted her chin up as she summoned her Persona. The creature was like a Trojan soldier, with golden armor and a long cerulean dress. It was propped up like a sitting statue, with a solid face and one knee raised up. It leaned forward, and uncovered its head and chest shell of a body, revealing a weapon inside. The rod with a spear at the end of it was buzzing with electricity, and it zoomed forward through all of the Tiaras, vanquishing them, then disappearing.

"Wowie! We definitely got another soldierr!" Junpei cheered.

"Nice work, Aigis: Your Persona took out 3 Shadow in one hit! Impressive." Akihiko said. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, let's keep going!"

3 more floors up, and there was a large Shadow with a cloaked body and a yellow mask. It had pointy braces for arms and four legs shaped like a wheel on either side of it. It twisted its body and spun towards them, and the team jumped and ran apart.

"Damn, is this the boss?" Junpei summoned Hermes, and it kicked one of its limbs, twirling it back.

"No, this is a regular Shadow!" Fuuka told them.

Mitsuru's Persona waved its sword like a wand, and used ice to belt it's wheel legs into the ground. Akihiko used zio but—

"It's nullified to lightning!" Fuuka exclaimed. The attack gave it a charge, and the wild Shadow broke free, rolling towards them again. Lightning strikes came down randomly. Ezi evoked a Naga, a half-snake half-human, to raise its armored shield up to block her and Mitsuru beside her. Akihiko moved swiftly to jump away from the ground before a strike could reach him. Aigis summoned Palladion again. With its head up and opened, it crashed its body into the ground, releasing semi-automatic charges that exploded underneath the Shadow, defeating it—but not before one more lightning strike whacked Aigis into submission.

"Aigis!" Their Persona's disappeared and Aigis was trying to stand up, but there was blue electricity circling her body.

"Don't touch her!" Mitsuru warned, and everyone stepped back. Aigis walked robotically and slowly to the wall, touching one of the metal green poles; the charge transferred upwards to the triangular deco window, breaking the glass.

"Whoa!" Junpei jumped back. Aigis had recovered.

"My weakness is lightning abilities."

"Aigis, we're just glad your okay." Akihiko was breathing heavily.

"Glad?"

"We should head up to the big Shadow, right, Fuuka?"

"Correct!" Fuuka replied. "I'm glad you're all okay. Be careful! There are three large Shadows upstairs!"

"That really was just a normal Shadow? Damn, they're getting bigger and tougher!"

"I agree with Iori. We must be cautious. It is likely they are blocking the way, so we will have to fight." Mitsuru walked beside Ezi as they all went to the next floor.

There was a large green teleport, which they activated by pulling down the top gold rings around it, then they ventured to the Shadows: They looked like black giants wearing blue masks, with husky gold hair like Hulk Hogan, and a body built like a wrestler, wearing tight boxers: The were Furious Gigas.

They pointed triumphantly at the SEES team, and all three of them lit up.

"They're using Sukukaja! They'll be faster in their attack rates!" Fuuka warned. All three of them charged at them down the hallway.

"Here they come!" Ezi yelled. Everyone's Persona was out at once—Hermes and Polydeuces were on one coming form the side, Penthesilea and Palladion were on the one parallel to it, and Valkyrie- Ezi's new Persona—blocked the incoming Gigas from that took the lead. Valkyrie was a woman soldier on a horse, and had gallant swords to block the incoming punch, and pushed it back—as it did, it leapt forward and directly stabbed into the falling Gigas, defeating it.

Hermes tried grabbing onto the other one's arms ad Polydeuces went for a similar stab—the Shadow threw Hermes forward into the needle and they both vanished, throwing Akihiko and Junpei back. The Shadow ran towards them, and as Akihiko recovered, he punched him in the face.

"Sempai!" Junpei cried. The Shadow picked Akihiko up by the waste, and threw into the right direction.

"No!" Ezi screamed, but she couldn't summon a Persona fast enough. Aigis' Palladion raised its head up in enough time to cushion into the flailing Akihiko with the brush of the helmet, but he bounced into the wall and fell, from a high level, onto the ground.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru's Shadow disappeared, and the two Shadows went at them again.

Ezi summoned Naga once more, and the snake creature used its scepter to stab one of them, as the other continued its charge like a bull. Aigis picked up Akihiko and Mitsuru and jumped out of the way as her Persona was being summoned. Palladion used a fatal end, which charged itself into the Gigas with a rod, and they both exploded, throwing everyone back with a large, hot gust.

"Akihiko? Answer me?" He lay pallid in Mitsuru's lap as she shook him.

"Aki..?" Ezi could feel her heart pounding in her head.

Aigis placed her gloved hand gently on his shoulder. "His pulse is normal. He may have just become unconscious from the impact."

His vest was a little tarnished, and he had a pained look on his face as he slept. Aigis picked him up and threw him over her shoulder, like he only weighed a feather to her.

"No concussion."

"That's a relief." Mitsuru stood up. "We should head back for the night. Is everyone else okay?"

"Y-yeah…" Ezi looked at Akihiko. She had been more worried than she had realized and was still recovering from the panic. "You saved him; thank you, Aigis."

"It was my duty." She said factually. The tired crew headed back to the teleport, then went home.

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Ezi thought about the previous night as she went to practice. Seeing Akihiko fall that way had scared her. Even though Aigis had been amazing—this is what plagued her thoughts as she entered the gym.

Rio was standing off the side with her arms folded, yelling at the girls. Her coaching and the balls dribbling echoed across the room, and even Ms. Kanou was standing beside her with a stern look, as if she had been involved so much up to this point.

"Ezi-san! You're late! Stretch and get in line quickly!"

She was a little irritated, even though she knew Rio was making a front. She had always gone to practice, and this was probably the first time she had seen the whole team present. They did much more intense drills, which Ezi hated and loved for the experience; they did one-on-ones, free throw suicides, lay-up drills and more almost nonstop. She was painted in sweat when they finished the drills.

She realized she hadn't fed the cat since she had returned, so would have to do it before practice the next day.

"Hey guys!" She came into the lounge in the afternoon. "I am beat! But I think we can go to Tartarus tonight—"

The little boy with brown hair was standing in the dining room, with a suitcase half his side next to him. He turned his head around to see her walk in.

"Ah-"

"Ezi-san!" Ikutsuki darted from the kitchen. "I thought everyone would be busy until this evening. I apologize I didn't contact you before you got here."

Ikutsuki was holding a butter knife with red jam on it, and he looked unsettling when he came around the corner grinning with it.

"Oh! This is, that boy…"

"Hello, Ezi-san." The boy approached her with wide-eyed intelligence. "I am Ken Amada. We met before, nice to meet you, officially."

"Oh! Nice to meet you also, Ken!"

"He'll be staying at your dorms for the summer, remember?" Ikutsuki licked the jam. "I'll just message the others right now before we have lunch. Would you care to join us? We're just havin' good old fashioned PB&J!"

"Oh—no, that's okay! I already ate." She lied.

"Then, we will see you later."

"Have a good afternoon, Ezi-san." Ken said politely, then he returned to the table. She sped up the stairs, her mind stirring; had he heard her mention Tartarus? If he had the potential, did that mean the Chairman wanted him to join SEES? He was just a little kid…

She text Mitsuru and Akihiko that Ken was there now, then she showered. She decided she would go out to get food and feed the cat before the evening, since for some reason she didn't want to hangout with the Chairmen and Ken. It was perfect timing: three strangers that wanted to end the SEES operations had just left the outskirts, but they were likely to return any moment…

She dressed in her orange blouse with the white frilly skirt. She wasn't one to wear skirts before, this, she was certain of—but maybe she was used to the skirt on the school uniform now or something. Aigis was watching her as she walked down the sidewalk.

She sighed, irritated. "We already talked about this—" She spun around to see Aigis glaring at her form an alleyway corner. "—Stop following me!"

"I must protect you. You are going to the outskirts, correct? That is a dangerous territory, recorded with a high level of criminal activity."

"Aigis, I'm just going to the station, but if I see the cat over there, then yes, I'm going to be there too…" She groaned. "Fine, I guess it would be okay if you came, but you have to look normal." She strutted back to the dorm to get Aigis' blue dress, which was hanging by the other coats next to the front door.

"There! Now you look normal, so you can just walk beside me! Let's go save a feline!"

"Why are you feeding this particular animal?"

"My friend Theo wanted me to feed it. We can't bring pets into the dorm, otherwise I would probably take care of it there."

"So, you do things when others ask you to? Like, an order, or a command?"

"Not exactly. You can choose to help someone when you like them!"

"I see: so you must like someone in order to fulfill their task."

"Well, not exactly… You're making this a bit more difficult than it needs to be!"

When they reached their destination, they swooped in every alley and corner of the station, but couldn't find the cat. They went to the outskirts behind some clubs, while the sun was still out.

"I've seen it here before… Here kitty, kitty…"

"Hey, shouldn't we be saying that to _you?"_ Two guys beside the club entrance were laughing when they called to her.

"Hey wait, I remember that brat! She was with that group of students that came here before!" one of them said. They bumped into each other as they began to speak and mumble, like they were scheming.

Ezi tried to ignore it at first, looking behind the dumpster—no cat—

"Hey, bitch!" They weren't coming towards them, but they did seem amused.

"Her name is Elizabeth Arts Leon, actually." Aigis clarified.

"How do you know my whole name? You know what—never mind."

"Bitch, you better stop bringing yourself and your cute friends around here, or I'll get my friends to come back here and beat the hell from you for what you did last time!"

"We didn't do anything!"

One of the punks pulled a knife. "Shut your mouth if you know what's good for you!"

"Ugh—" If only she had a long range weapon to throw at them, just to startle them "—Aigis!"

"Yes, Ezi-san?"

"Ah-ha! Use those little bullets from your fingers! You know, just to scare them! Don't actually shoot them!"

"Is this use of firearms essential to the operation at hand?"

"Uh, yeah."

Aigis faced the men and raised her arms out. From her gloved digits as they folded open, came a spit of firing that caused the punks to start tap-dancing. They finally bolted the other way, and Aigis ceased fire.

"Alright! Good job!"

"My top priority-"

"It's okay, you don't have to say it. Let's go—"

He was there again, like some sort of stalker. Shinjiro was standing by the corner, as if he had been taking cover from the fire.

"You can come out!"

"Just making sure there wasn't some gang fight I was about to walk into." He walked out, coolly, with his hands in his pockets.

"Seriously, do you live in a trash can? Why are you always bothering me?"

"I'm not. You're the one firing weapons. You sure you know what you're doing?" He looked at Aigis. "You brought another girl to protect you?"

"Not really."

He thought about the new "pet" the three from before had referred to him. Perhaps the blonde girl was their new recruit they mentioned.

"You're good with firearms? So what? Bringing guns here will only make the situation worse."

"I scared those jerks off, didn't I?" Ezi said proudly. "Why do you care so much?"

"I don't…" He sighed, "but you know, you have to think about your position on SEES. What if others…"

"Others? What others?"

He wasn't sure he should warn them—the consequences that would come. "Nothing. You better just stay out of trouble."

"Or what? You know, actually, I don't care what you have to say! Thank you for helping my friends before, but you can't keep bothering us! Akihiko almost died yesterday in Tartarus! Why should I care what you have to say? All you do is hangout with these punks, and boss me around, probably for your own reasons too, otherwise you would rejoin SEES and help him!"

He didn't respond, and Ezi realized he wouldn't.

"Do you even care he was hurt?"

"Of course I do."

"Actions speak louder than words, dick!" She tightly grabbed Aigis by the hand. "Come on!" She pulled her out of the alleyway in a longer direction, and they were out on the regular streets again in no time.

"Ezi, your temperature has risen 2 degrees."

She let go of Aigis's hand. "I'm fine! Can you do me a favor, Aigis? Don't tell anyone where we went today, alright?"

"Affirmative."

"Uh, you don't eat, huh? I guess you're not interested in going to get a burger at the Wild Duck?"

"No, but I can accompany you to make sure you are unharmed during your consuming process."

"Uh, no, let' just go home."

Ezi observed Aigis, in her little blue dress—An adorable robot who looked human, but was far from it. It would be a bit difficult to make friends, or any sort of bond, with Aigis. Her desire to protect her—why? There were more questions than answers it seemed, and the chaos was only ripening.

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TO BE CONTINUED

Oh man... Shinjiro, pretending not to care more than he does :3 Anyway I hope you enjoyed it! R&R!


	14. Date 13: Arf-Arf!

Date 13: Arf! Arf!

When Ezi walked into the dorm, there was Ken—he didn't see her down the hall, as he was already heading upstairs. He kept to his own business, but he was invading—a threat.

She sat down with Yukari and Akihiko at the bar table. Junpei was playing a video game on the TV in the lounge, Fuuka was on the couch, and Mitsuru was somewhere.

Yukari was looking at a girly magazine. "I think we should go tonight."

"Why are you whispering?" Akihiko asked.

"Oh, because Ken—" She looked up and around. "—Never mind. We should go!"

"You don't have to yell." Ezi sighed. "I kinda feel bad for him, here with all these older people."

"He'll be fine." Akihiko slurped his cup noodle. "Sorry we have to deal with him being here. It'll only be fore the summer, though."

"Whoa! I don't mind." Yukari said. "That's sort of mean, sempai."

"I wasn't thinking that…" Ezi lied.

"Well, just be careful what you say around him. He has no idea about the Dark Hour or anything."

"Sempai, how are you feeling after that near-death experience?" Yukari's eyes were glued to the magazine.

"Uh, fine. Isn't every day in Tartarus a near-death experience?"

"True! But, at least we have Aigis now…" Ezi looked to the fridge.

"She's in her room, if you were wondering."

"I wasn't. I wonder what she does though, when she is alone."

"She just walks around. It would be kinda creepy if she didn't look like a cute blond."

"So blond is your type, sempai?" Junpei was pressing the buttons on his controller loudly, and bobbing his elbows up and down.

"N-no! I mean- Shut up!"

Ezi chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you're okay, but maybe we shouldn't go when Mitsuru isn't here."

"She definitely won't be here tonight!" Fuuka yelled to them.

This was nice, having a cooperative community—she didn't want to admit it, but Ken was one more thing they didn't need to deal with. Still, the reason he was there wasn't his fault at all…

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When the Dark Hour rang, Ezi woke up to a faint alarm from the Command Room—Pharos wasn't there—

"Sorry to wake you! There's a Shadow outside of Tartarus, hurry!"

Ezi hopped out of bed, strapping her bra on under her PJs and running to the room.

"What's going on?" Junpei didn't have his hat on.

"There's a Shadow in the city. Yamagishi spotted it by chance." Mitsuru explained.

"But, it's only half a moon." Yukari looked to the window.

"Actually, it's just a normal Shadow, and big—but it is outside of Tartarus."

"Akihiko went ahead to the Naganaki Shrine, where its located."

"Should we go after him?"

"No—It's just one, so let's prepare—"

The signal on the amplifier rang. It was Akihiko.

"I'm here. Sorry but I think you guys better come right away."

"A large Shadow? Let's go-"

"No, Mitsuru! The Shadow's been defeated. In fact, it was before I got here."

Ezi thought about when Shinjiro mentioned 'others.'

"How can that be?" Fuuka asked.

"The little guy's been injured! I want to help him, if we can." Akihiko ended the transmission.

"Little Fella? Who's he talking about?" Yukari asked.

"It couldn't be Ken?" Ezi scanned the others for an answer.

"No, he was asleep! I think…" Junpei hurried down stairs with the others. He checked to see that Ken was in his room, and so they hurried out with Aigis to run down the street towards the Naganaki Shrine.

A white dog was lying on its side atop the staircase, covered in blood. Akihiko was on his knees, comforting it. It whined pitifully and shook.

"Koro-chan!" Fuuka cried. "Are you okay, boy?"

"You know this dog?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah, everyone does—we have to help him!"

"Right! We must stop the bleeding!" Mitsuru declared. In a split second, Ezi reached out and covered the wound on its side with pressure.

"He was stabbed? It's okay, boy." She whispered calmly to Koromaru as Mitsuru made a phone call.

"He's tough, I-I think he'll be okay. He defeated that Shadow all by himself!"

"What? Wait, does that mean this dog is a Persona-user?" Junpei realized.

Koromaru barked, then whined a bit.

Aigis' eyes seemed to glow. "He says: This is a place of peace, so I protected it. There are flowers over there." They followed Aigis' finger to the gate side gate of the shrine, where white flowers were placed.

"Those flowers must be for the priest who died in the accident." Fuuka said.

"So, he really was guarding this place." Yukari deduced.

"Aigis? Don't tell me you can translate dog language, too!" Junpei was dumbfounded.

"Canines do not have their own language. However, speech is not the only form of communication."

"This fella really is a rare breed." Akihiko sat beside Ezi. "Keep the pressure there."

"Got it."

"The dog's not the only rare breed." Junpei sized up Aigis.

"Alright, let's report to the Chairman." Mitsuru closed her phone. "It may be midnight, but I believe I can manage a vet for Koro-chan."

"Can you do nothing wrong?" Yukari said teasingly. "What a good boy, Koro-chan. You're gonna be okay!"

They waited around, until the vet came with a stretcher and a long car. He bandaged Koromaru's wound right there, as they watched—filling the wound with liquid anti-bacteria caused Koromaru to cry out and squirm, but Ezi and Akihiko helped keep him down by the limbs and neck. He wrapped the dog up, and Akihiko aided with the stretcher to the car, and the doctor left.

"I hope he will recover soon. Poor Koro-chan." Fuuka and the others watched the car until they couldn't see it anymore, but Ezi was staring at her palms.

Her hands were covered in blood. It hadn't been the first time so much had been on her hands before.

There was a long sword in her belly.

"Ezi-san?" Akihiko snapped her back. "You should get that washed off at the drinking fountain."

"Y-yeah."

The SEES team returned to the dorm. Hopefully, they hadn't awoken Ken during the incident.

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"Nice work, everyone! At this rate, we'll do great at the fellowship!"

Rio was in high spirits during practice. They left to the Paulownia mall afterwards, to eat a smoothie at the Chargall Café and get a boxed lunch.

"Let's shop around a bit." Rio was being perky. A Lost person with Apathy Syndrome stalked by them in a raggedy suit, like a zombie.

"…You want to go shopping?" She turned to her friend.

"Well, not really, but I want to talk a little… Ms. Kanou…"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Kenji sort of got rejected, in a small way. He sent her a message about an event she wanted to go to three days ago, and she never replied to him."

"They text each other?"

"Sure! It started out about questions in sports… but we all know she doesn't know anything about that…"

"Ah, I see. Well then, you're in a good mood?"

"I suppose. Is that so wrong of me? He's not broken hearted, but it feels like a small victory for me." Rio went to the restroom, leaving Ezi to herself. The devilish Tanaka was there again, at his stand, bribing some couple to make an investment twice as heavy as the one she had been pulled into. They left with a large disagreement, and he turned to her.

"Hello again!" He said cheerily. "Here's a tip, kid: don't get married! The paperwork alone will kill yah."

"Tell me something that's actually useful."

"Okay…" He scanned the central stores in the mall, "That Pharmacy has two for one on medicine? You can get three for one."

"How?"

He told her something about the stock market relating to the insurance company on the store's policy…. Long story short, she walked out with three ointments for wounds instead of just two.

"Thanks! Good advice!"

"There's more where that came from! I'll take you under my wing, kid." She had spent some more time walking and shopping with Rio, then returned to the dorm.

Mitsuru wasn't there again, so they didn't go to Tartarus. She had had a headache lingering from practice, so she went to bed early, packing for the fellowship before she did.

Pharos was in her room.

"Good evening." He said, pleasantly. "It's becoming quite lively around you."

"Yeah? Why don't you go meet the family?" She sat up in her bed, but didn't bother to get up.

He chuckled. "So, are you getting along with the others?"

"We've had our fights, but it's melted down to things being great with us…"

"I'm glad to hear it. It is one week until the next full moon."

"I know."

"Are you prepared? To be honest, I'm not too worried about you."

"Oh, thanks for the concern, buddy."

"You know what I mean. However, you should still remain cautious. I'll come see you again." Pharos disappeared. Pharos and the Velvet Room, also the dark figure in the hoodie—she was keeping them secret from the others. But really, how could she explain it to them?

The next night, the Chairman visited the dorm.

"The dog is recovering smoothly." Mitsuru let everyone know in the lounge.

"Amazing. A dog that can summon a Persona? I wanted to research on the possibility, but still!" Ikutsuki was excited. "I'm so-! So…"

"Pet-trified?" Ezi finished.

"You read my mind! I didn't know you were so funny."

"It was a stretch."

"Still, a robot and a dog can use a Persona? What's next, a monkey?" Junpei rubbed his forehead.

"Keep your voices down!" Yukari looked to see Ken sitting at the dinner table. "Still, my archer friends are freaking out about all the Lost that show up on the streets. We have to do something about it."

"Agreed." Ezi walked to the kitchen to grab some dinner, since everyone else had already eaten.

"Ah, Ezi-san, good evening."

"Hey, Ken-kun." She nodded to him.

"I'm very impressed; you do sports in the day, and stay up all night? Or at least, it seems that way."

She froze without looking at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I always can't stay up late, but everyone else in the dorm seems to do activities late at night. What do you do?"

She reached for leftovers in the fridge. "Uh… adult stuff?"

"You guys aren't that much older than me."

She snickered. "Just studying, really." Change of subject is what they needed. "Uh, say, I'm going to Inaba tomorrow. Everyone else is requesting I take pictures or do certain stuff there. What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Like, do you want a souvenir? If I can, I'll get you something."

"Oh no, I couldn't ask you to."

"Come on kid, this is a chance to get free stuff! What do you want?"

He paused as she heated up the cheese crisp in the microwave. "I guess I'll get some kind of keychain."

"Well, that would be fine. Thank you."

"You got it!" She bolted to her room after that, shortening their conversation. She couldn't sleep much, restless about the trip… so she asked the team to sneak out to Tartarus that night again. They trained on lower floors to prepare for the Shadow that would appear within the week. They had already reached a block in Tartarus, so they honed in on their Persona's quickness to summon magic and Ezi showed them some rolling and dodging maneuvers. They trained for what seemed like forever, then returned before the Dark Hour had ended.

The morning of, Yukari and Junpei walked with Ezi to the train where she would meet the rest of the basketball team.

"Man, I'm so jealous you get to go!" Junpei carried her suitcase for her.

"We won't go to Tartarus, but we can still train in the day." Yukari told her.

"You guys can go… it's fine."

"Eh, wouldn't feel right." Junpei winked. "Have a good time! Let me know of any babes you see there!"

"No! I'm keeping them all to myself!" She teased.

On the train, she sat beside Rio, since she was the only one she really got along with. Yuko was there too, for some reason, sitting with a lanky boy with spiked black hair, wearing the same sweats she had on. Inaba had a small town atmosphere, enriched with Japanese culture, hilly green land and fresh air. It didn't take long for Ezi and her fellow athletes to reach Yasionaba High School. A joint practice with the students at the school was scheduled for two days.

"What a rustic school." Ms. Kanou commented as they walked in. It was old fashioned, with grey concrete walls and small gate entrance way—most of the architecture was just rectangular. The girls seemed a bit younger from the other team. They were pulled into training. Rio guided her team up to the inclined stairway near the field for exercise. It reminded Ezi of walking on the green steps in Tartarus.

"Who's the liar who said this was going to be a paradise with hot springs?" One of the girls complained half way through drills.

"Ms. Kanou, I think." Someone answered. "Whatever, she probably gets paid a lot for taking us up here."

They played a scrimmage game, and Yuko just had to spice things up.

"Well, since the Gekkoukan girls don't care about winning, except maybe Ezi and Rio, let's make a bet!"

"What do you mean?" One of the Gekkou students whined. "How come you're making deals for us?"

"The losing team has to clean the gym after!"

"I like it!" Proclaimed Ezi.

"And, do 10 sprints up and down the court!" Rio added.

"Alright! Let's do it!" The three of them were hyped, and even Yuko subbed in to play a bit. The Yasionaba girls were much quicker, and worked together as a unit and talked on the court.

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…Yuko was forced to clean up with them after, since it had been her idea. After they were tired and sweaty, Yukiko Amagi from the Amagi inn escorted them to the quiet place where hot springs resided. It was the most established inn, with boxed paper lanterns on the ceilings, gold painted wood, and even the hostesses wore kimonos. The room was rather large, with plenty of futon space, floor tables, and drapery for a changing station.

Rio and Ezi shared a room… and Yuko was stalking behind them.

"This place is so luxurious!" She said. "Won't people like us get in trouble for being in a place like this?"

"Like by who?" Ezi chuckled.

"Uh, the government?"

"Why are you in our room, Yuko?" Rio sighed, aggravated.

"I have to stay with you guys! Kaz was put in the same room as me, and it's weird!"

"Kazashi, the boy?" Rio realized. "He's you're friend, but he is a boy! What was Kanou thinking with the room assignments?"

Ezi grinned evilly, "You want to be in the same room as him."

"D-don't even joke like that, girl!"

The girls gossiped for a while about girls they didn't like from school, and who they were interested in.

"I want a thin, athletic boy! But there's no one like that at school." Yuko complained.

"What about Kazashi?" Rio pressed.

"Well, I've always had a thought that if he and I don't find someone we'll end up getting married. We've been friends for forever, and he's pretty useless without me! Rio, you don't like anyone?"

"N-no!" She lied. "Nobody…"

 _She likes Kenji,_ Ezi thought. "Y'know, the guys at our school are kinda weird."

"Then, you don't like anyone, Ezi?" Yuko said.

"No…" She rubbed her chin, "well, this is gonna sound weird, okay? There's someone I've talked to outside of school, but he's really mysterious, and I think that's why he's interesting to me, but…"

Yuko gasped. "A tall, dark and handsome stranger? You're lucky! There's no one cool in my life like that!"

"You never told me this before, Ezi-san." Rio sounded upset. "Who is he?"

"Well, I don't know anything about him, really, but it's always such an intense atmosphere when I see him, I can't explain what the feelings are when I see him. Anger, mostly. I guess I can't picture myself with him, but he may have a soft spot, even if he doesn't want to show it. And he's nosy!"

"Still, that's really cool!" Yuko said. "It sounds like Akihiko's going to have some tough competition!"

"Huh?" Ezi frowned.

"Yuko, _shh_!" Rio snapped.

"What? Oh…sorry." She covered her mouth, but it was already too late.

"What about Akihiko?" Ezi asked.

"Well, we're all friends here, so we'll just tell you," Yuko said "there was some dumb rumor we heard that you and Akihiko might be going out."

"What? We're not dating." Ezi stated.

"You sure? So the rumors were whacked? One of them was about when Akihiko was really embarrassed when one of the guys on his boxing team asked if you two were together!" Yuko sounded excited. "Plus, you live in the same dorm as him!"

"Well, he's awkward about stuff like that anyway. We're just friends, really."

"Wow, you sound so robotic about it," Yuko observed, "it must be true, then!" She sighed. "Well, I hope you find someone who makes you happy, Ezi-san; you deserve it!"

"As do you, Yuko." She smiled.

They switched to ghost stories, and even invited Kazashi for a few. Ezi had accidentally stepped on the remote control light switch between futons and scared everyone. Then, they went to the hot springs for some relaxation. The next morning they had a delicious egg and fish breakfast, and then they packed to leave the inn before one more fellowship practice.

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Yukiko Amagi was only in middle school, but there was something mysterious and tranquil about her. She was a small cute girl with swing cut hair and dark eyes. She had watched the team out and Yuko made a theory.

"What if the ghost who turned the lights off last night was that cute girl all along?"

"Ah, so cute girls are ghosts? At least I know you're human, then." Kazashi was punched in the arm by Yuko for saying such things. They had more fun, goofing off at the last practice with the other girls at the gym, then they said their goodbyes and left the beautiful place.

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It was Aigis' first mission for a full moon. She sat in the command room waiting patiently for the others as operations began that night.

"Sorry I couldn't get you guys anything." Ezi said as they walked in. "They didn't have many things to purchase at the inn, but I did have fun."

"Any babes there?" Junpei asked regularly.

"There was this one girl, but I'm pretty sure she was a ghost."

"What?"

"Will you two get serious? We're about to fight a Shadow!" Yukari chided.

"It's another full moon mission." Ikutsuki was sitting beside Aigis as he stood up. Mitsuru sighed. She seemed more tense than usual.

"Yamagishi, have you located it?"

"Yes, and it is definitely not a regular Shadow. It's in Iwatodai where the deserted homes are, the northern part. But, it seems to be in a weird place, like its underground, about 10 meters."

"Maybe its in a basement?" Yukari guessed.

"I have scanned a global position of that area." Aigis calculated. "According to the records, there is no structure that fits such a criteria. However, there was a government funded military facility that used to be there many years ago."

"Military?" Ezi echoed.

"It would seem that they did create this facility a long time back. It must still be in Aigis' records from when she was created. However, the information has not been updated for over a decade." Ikutsuki seemed worried too. They were going into unknown territory.

"I suppose we won't know the situation until we all go ourselves. We can decide who should go once we get there." Mitsuru decided.

"Right! Let's go, everyone!"

Mitsuru smirked. "Dependable as ever. Let's go."

They followed the senior's orders, and everyone (aside Ikutsuki) strode with caution stern faces as they reached the destination: a northern harbor's underground facility entrance.

"This must be the place…" Fuuka walked in with the others through the mine-looking entrance. "Why are there tread marks going in?"

"Okay, we should split into teams…" Mitsuru announced, but everyone turned around when they heard footsteps at the entrance.

" _Well done."_ Some one said sinisterly. Before they realized it, there were other humans, two of them, standing at the entranceway.

"How? Lucia didn't even sense them.." Fuuka said to herself. They were both older men—one of them had greasy long hair, and was at abnormally thin, wearing only pants; he had a sick smile on his stubble chin and tattoos all over his bare arms and stomach. The other was a man with azure hair slicked to one side, thin glasses and green jump suit; he was holding some remote with a wire connected to it that stretched to the side of the partition.

"This is the first time we've met in person." The pale bare young man spoke with an uneasy calmness. "My name is Takaya. This is Jin. We are known to some as Strega."

"Strega?" Junpei gasped. "That rumor about the website, where you can pay people to kill or hurt someone… that was you?"

Takaya's smile widened. "We've been keeping an eye on you. From what we hear, you've taken a righteous battle to save the world."

"So, what of it?" Ezi retorted. She was worried, mainly for her friends.

Somehow, humans could be scarier than Shadows.

"Well, we've come here tonight to put an end to that dream."

"What?" Akihiko proclaimed, holding his fists up.

"You've gained new allies, yet this land still crawls with sin. Tartarus is towering as beautifully as always."

"You know about Tartarus?" Ezi snapped.

"Correct." Jin replied.

"Then, why would you try to stop us? What do you want?"

"Simple…If the Shadows and the Dark hour disappear, then so will our power. We can't let that happen now, can we?"

"Power?" Mitsuru realized. "Don't tell me you're Persona-users as well?"

"Why don't you use that pretty little head of yours for a change?" Takaya retorted, harshly. "Only a select few wield that power of the Persona. The Dark Hour is meant for us alone to explore… just like the tower of Demise…"

"That's your reason? Are you crazy?" Yukari screamed. "There's no telling what will happen if we don't do something about the Shadows!"

"What difference does it make?" Takaya shrugged. "There will always be disasters, whether they are caused by Shadows or not. No one can predict the future. Anyway, surely you can all acknowledge the power the Dark Hour has granted you."

Ezi did think. Her life and memories, was it all connected to the Dark Hour? There was something familiar about it, but she wouldn't give in.

"That's not true!"

"Is it not so? How about the rest of you? Do you wish to return to your pathetic, ordinary lives?"

"Of course they don't! There is nothing pathetic about our lives!" Ezi continued.

"You think I like this?" Yukari snapped.

"I don't like this one bit." Fuuka answered. "My friends are risking their lives every night to protect everyone else. It's not ideal at all!"

"You've got your reasons, and we've got our own for fighting." Jin responded. "Justice and fighting to save the day is only an excuse. It makes you all hypocrites! So I say, to hell with you!"

He clicked the button on the remote in his hand, and the partition began to close! Akihiko was the first to run to the door, but Jin and Takaya began walking away as the door sealed, and they were all locked in.

"Dammit!" Akihiko punched and kicked the metal seal, with no success of damaging it, as the fiends had probably planned it.

"Rather than waste our energy and Persona here, I suggest we fight the Shadow, first." Aigis stated.

"The Shadow is moving!" Fuuka cried. "I think it has noticed us!"

"Alright, we will have to intercept it! Everyone, prepare for battle! We need someone here with Fuuka in case those two come back."

Ezi selected those that seemed most prepared: Akihiko, Mitsuru and Aigis followed her down the dirt track lower into the facility. Junpei was in a daze after what Strega had said, and Yukari was too freaked out about being locked in to battle.

"Its running down the hall, chase after it!" Fuuka said. The four of them jogged lightly passed the ancient, dusted walls and metal scraps, as well as old rusted guns and equipment that had been scattered to the winds inside the desolate facility. Everyone was probably focused, but even Ezi was wondering about these two guys that called themselves Strega… maybe they knew something about Tartarus, or rather, the Tower of Demise.

"Are you ready? It's in the large space up ahead!" There was dark tunnel, lingering, weak, up ahead as Fuuka warned them.

"Y-yeah. Ready!" She decided. "We don't know what arcana it has yet, so stay wary."

They spread out and stood in front of the next big Shadow as they entered the deepest area of the facility. The Shadow was in the middle: a tank with long high wheels and a cannon on top, with a sort of helmet with a cross cove on the front, and angel wings attached to its back was perched above the gun.

"This explains the fresh tire tracks." Fuuka analyzed. "It must be using the tank as armor! Its arcana is Justice… wait, Chariot? What the—I am sensing two entities!"

The partition behind them also began to close. Ezi ran to it, only to not slide in enough time to stop closing them into the room.

"Damn, we fell for it twice in a row!" Akihiko snapped.

"What's that sound?" Mitsuru asked. They looked around to see a pink mist emerge from the circles in the walls all around.

Takaya's voice rang on some sort of intercom. " _We thought we could use this facility's qualities to our advantage. Our gift to you: so the Dark Hour may continue, a sacrifice must be made. Farewell."_

"Guys! That pink gas will numb your nerves!" Fuuka scanned.

"What?" Mitsuru summoned Penthesilea quickly to use ice on the Shadow; it did little damage to its helmet. Suddenly, the four of them were on their knees. Akihiko tried to summon Polydeuces, and it shocked the Shadow; the helmet ripped off the top with a tiny body, holding the large canon as it flew down towards them. Ezi managed to roll away before the cannon scrapped on the floor towards her, and then it flew back up.

"They separated?" Akihiko realized. He was trying to stand up, but the weight of gravity had become a large mountain pulling him in.

Ezi could barely raise her evoker up to her head. "Yukari, Junpei… Break the door down to this room… hurry!" Everything in her now was asleep.

The helmet shot the cannon at her, and she thought she would cease to exist—

—Aigis was there in a second.

She shot back and fired bullets at the Shadow as the canon deflected.

"Aigis!"

"My priority is to protect you. Activating orgia mode!" She held the tank part back with her bare hands as it tried to roll them over. Her golden joints lit up as a hidden energy consumed her form. She was able to lift the Shadow up towards the sealed door. Yet, even though it had significant impact, the metal door did not open! Aigis' body seemed to open up, and she shot targeting missiles towards the metal parts of the Shadow, creating loud explosions and fire that shook the underground place. Ezi turned her head to see the others were unable to move as they lay on the floor with their heads down, like they were already dead.

"We're on our way! Hang in there!" Fuuka told them in their heads. Aigis was spinning around the dented and damaged Shadow parts, but then she suddenly stopped—her body fell forward. Ezi assumed she had over done it and used too much power and weaponry.

"Unexpected error." She said robotically. "This was not planned." The cannon with the tiny Shadow body whacked the tip of the arsenal into Aigis, crashing her into the dirt wall, and then it fired a missile at her. When the dust cleared, Aigis was static and covered in dirt and oil, her inner wires zapping and zinging around her tired joints.

They weren't going to make it in time.

Everyone was unconscious, or at the very least, they couldn't even move to turn their heads. One more-

The Shadows turned to them, and the tank with the evil smile on its underside went back down on all four wheels, and charged at them, probably to roll them over. A hit and smash and run—that's not how she wanted to die—

Could she even truly die? One more try—

She shot the evoker to her head with the last bit of muscle she could use, then she dropped her head.

The creature that emerged roared in agony, and she had heard it before—the first night she had summoned her Persona—

The large metal head, with a body dressed in black and a long sword; it had relics that looked like graves for its wings, as it soared over to the Shadow and definitely smashed both of them to bits. Ezi couldn't look up because she couldn't move, but she assumed that was the Persona that had appeared, and that's what was happening.

Even with the Shadow defeated, they were still trapped in the room, lying there like fishes out of water. The numbness was in her chest now—couldn't breathe—

A large crashing noise was behind them. Something else had broken into the facility from another area. She opened her eyes: the pink mist was quickly being sucked into the thin gap that had been made, and there was a large figure riding a horse standing there. It was black, a sort of reckoning—then it disappeared, like a Persona should.

She and the others gasped for air as their internal bodies began functioning again. A few moments later, Hermes and Lo had broken the front door down, and Junpei, Yukari and Fuuka joined them.

"Are you guys okay?" Yukari helped Mitsuru up, and Junpei aided Ezi.

"We are now, thank you." Mitsuru was weak.

"We didn't rip that hole in the back wall, though." Junpei speculated.

"Someone helped us?" Ezi reflected on what had happened.

"Maybe they defeated that Shadow too! I couldn't see what happened." Akihiko admitted. It seemed no one had seen Ezi summon that creature again, so she kept it to herself. It was rabid and desperate and out of control, not like her other Personas; but it came when she needed it. That was control enough for her.

"A-Aigis!" Ezi ran to her with what strength she could muster.

"I will be alright." She said. "I must power down to recover."

"Okay! Thank you, Aigis. You saved us too!"

"It is my duty. Powering down now…" Her blue eyes became glazed over, and she stopped fidgeting and fizzing.

"We'll have the Chairman look at her." Mitsuru enlightened, then she sighed greatly. "We'll also have to tell him about Strega."

"I'm sorry you guys… I led you into a trap!" Fuuka cried out.

"Hey, none of us knew what was going to happen. We were all so focused on that Shadow!" Yukari defended. "But now I wonder who helped us?"

"Yeah…" Ezi pondered. "You know, I thought maybe those two Strega freaks were just trying to stop us or test us out, but I guess they've been following us for a while. When they locked us in this room with the gas though, I knew for a fact they were trying to kill us."

"Yeah. Looks like we have something else to worry about." Akihiko and the others froze for a moment. They went through the crack to the southern end of the facility near the harbor, where the fresh night air greeted them.

They had accomplished another full-moon operation. There were other Persona-users; Strega, their deadly enemy, and someone else who had saved them. The team was too exhausted to think much of it, so they went to their dorm to rest.

"Good afternoon, Ezi-san." Ken was sitting on the couch on her way out. "Did you hear on the news? Apparently this morning a lot of people who had Apathy Syndrome suddenly felt a lot better. I wonder how that happened."

They had defeated a Shadow is what had happened.

"Oh? That's really good news!"

Ezi went shopping alone to ponder the details of the previous night. Everyone else had been resting, except the seniors, when she had left the dorm. Akihiko and Mitsuru had gone somewhere, and it seemed unlikely that they would all be willing to go to Tartarus that night. She went to the Pharmacy to buy more cat food, and realized she was short on money. As Club Escapade opened that afternoon, she saw the old monk Mutatsu go in, and decided to follow suit. The bartender who could give a damn was there, so he didn't care an underage student was coming into the club. She sat with the monk on the second floor.

"You again?" He was smoking a cigar as he waited for his drink. "Don't tell me you're drinkin' anything illegal?"

"No! I just came to see you. I don't want to spend my money on alcohol anyway."

"I never gave my son any money, so I know you high-schoolers are always broke."

"I get by okay. I had a question…"

"I may have an answer, but not the one you want."

"That's why I'm asking you. So, you've had to perform funerals at your shrine, right?"

"Ah! Another depressing reason why I hate my job! Everyone's always demanding I do something unpleasant for them! Like bless them, or marry them, or ease them with the spirit of god when they're mourning! Why?"

"I was just wondering… were any of the funerals you had to do because someone was murdered?"

He blinked a few times. "Kid, I'm supposed to be the sad one. Where's all this coming from? You better not be getting into any trouble—"

"No, but you know how there's all these dangerous gangs on the island? I've just seen them get more violent. Some have even hurt people who aren't dangerous; innocent people. What if, say, the innocent ones had to defend themselves?"

"Depends if the innocent one wants to taint their souls."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, when my family inherited the Shrine, I begged my parents to let me be in charge upon their retirement. Why? Because I was young and naïve and I thought it would be easy—then the job made me hard. I lost my innocence, making poor choices on the job. There's nothing wrong with defending yourself, but I must warn you: killing another human being will make you hard."

"I wasn't…" She had thought of it. Strega tried to kill her and her friends, and they weren't done with them…

"I'm scared, I think."

"Being afraid causes people to make poor choices. Trust me, kid. I mean, look at me!"

She smiled. "You're right. I guess I should try to understand things more before anything else bad happens."

Mutatsu speculated her. "I don't know what mess you kids get into these days, but you better take care of yourself."

"I will." She stood up. "Maybe I'll stop by again soon."

"Quit coming here! This place is nothing but trouble!" That was code for maybe he wished to talk more. Ezi went to feed the cat, keeping an eye on the surrounding area. She wondered if Shinjiro would be there but he never showed up, so she returned quickly to the dorm.

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In her room that night, she sensed a familiar presence.

"Hi, how are you?" Pharos had his hands behind his back. "I remembered something else!"

"Well, hopefully its something useful."

"The end won't be brought upon by anyone in particular. It's coming because there are many people who wish for it… as if it was destined from the start."

"Many people? Like Strega?"

"But, doesn't that seem like a strange thing to wish for?"

"The end? You mean, death?" She paused. "This is crazy! Those Strega guys are psycho! I sure don't want it! Don't worry, I'll stop those creeps!"

"I see… so you don't want it…" Pharos said sadly. "Well, enough about that for now. There's something else I wanted to tell you today."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Soon, the poisonous flowers will bloom. One in your own garden, and three in the garden opposite yours."

"Can't you ever just give a straight answer?"

"I am only trying to show you what you may have already conjured yourself, deep down inside of you, and reveal it to the light."

"The light? A poisonous flower in my own garden, huh?" She wondered if Strega had friends, others that could be on the island.

"I don't know whether or not this has anything to do with the end, but you should be careful."

"Well, thanks for the warning anyway."

He chuckled. "I'm happy to hear that from you."

"Hey, do you know about that Persona I summoned yesterday? It's different from the others… what could it be?"

"Hmm. It would seem a Persona is the inner part of you coming out when needed. So you would know that answer better than I."

"Not really…"

"I'll come again if I find anything useful. That's what friends are for, right?" He gave her a carefree smile. It was haunting and reassuring at once.

"Pharos… I don't know why, but thank you. I'll keep trying to find things out, too. I won't give up."

"Very good." He nodded, and suddenly he seemed less cheery. _"Farewell… My dearest…"_

Pharos disappeared.

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 **.**

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The next morning, she was greeted by another unworldly character. Theo called to tell her that the new section of Tartarus was passable, and that he had a few more requests to ask of her. She hung up and lay in bed a while longer, taking in her summer break quite lazily, when someone knocked on her door.

"It's me." Mitsuru said. "I'm sorry to disturb you while you were resting, but I needed a word with you."

"Coming." She was slightly irritated as she opened the door.

"Good morning. I have something important I need to tell everyone. However I find it best if you just saw it for yourself. Come to command room when you get home tonight, okay?"

"Okay—"

"Good." Mitsuru seemed to leave rather hurriedly.

Ezi decided to go to the shrine to pray for some resolution. The young man in the pajamas was just leaving, and Maiko had her backpack on.

"Maiko? It's Saturday, I thought you didn't have cram school to go to?"

Maiko smiled without a care, standing on her heels and clenching the arms of her bag. "Oh! I have this on because I'm running away!"

"You didn't come here to play? I thought we talked about this."

"I know! Don't tell anyone where I am, okay?" Maiko took off before Ezi could say much else, so she went to the offertory box to donate, then she put her hands together.

Tartarus—the Tower of Demise—the end. It was all connecting, but it was still uncertain as to how.

"Excuse me?" A woman in a pencil skirt and salmon colored suit with short brown hair ran to her. "Have you seen a little girl? She's about in elementary school." She seemed especially nervous. A man with brown hair and wearing a suit strode up behind her.

"Calm down, dammit! Panicking isn't going to help find her!"

"What if something happens to her?"

"Oh please! You should know why she ran off in the first place! Its what happens when you force a child into studying non-stop!"

"You think this is my fault you jackass?" The broken couple bickered, and Ezi knew they were Maiko's parents.

"Look," the dad turned to her, "You're Ezi, right? Maiko told me all about you. She said she'd come her to play with a high school kid instead of practicing the piano."

"What the hell did you do to my daughter?" The mother roared in her face.

The dad stepped in. "Shut up and stop jumping to stupid conclusions!"

 _No wonder Maiko wanted to run_. She thought, but then Maiko's mom began crying. Clearly, they both extremely worried about her.

"I will help you find her."

"Good! She left a note in her room and took her bag. She's never done anything like this before! Please, if you know where our daughter is…"

The dad seemed more calm. Ezi thought for a moment of where the child could have run away too.

"I know where she might be. Let's go."

She felt bad for ratting Maiko out, but she wasn't going to lie to her parents that seemed to care for her. They saw Maiko buying a Takoyaki at the stand in the strip mall. Her mom began scolding her, and the dad tried to calm her down.

"I don't want you guys to get a divorce because of me!" Maiko also began crying.

"I see what this is about." Her dad realized. "Maybe we could talk about it at home?" He turned to Ezi. "I'm sorry we brought you into this."

Maiko stepped out of line to face Ezi.

"You told them? I told you to keep a secret… You lied! Just like my parents do!"

"Maiko, your parents care about you, and I do too. I didn't want you getting hurt. Just give them a chance, okay?"

Maiko's mother dragged her, and her parents started yelling again as they left. She wondered if she had made the right choice, but at least now maybe they could talk out their issues as a family.

She sat at a bench and wrote all of the recent happenings so far in her itinerary, then she returned to the dorm.

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Ezi sat and ate with Junpei and Yukari before they met everyone in the command room (except Ken, of course). They were all confused about why Mitsuru had summoned them so urgently. When they walked in, Koromaru the dog was sitting next to Mitsuru on the ground by the couch with a weird device around his neck.

"Woof!" The dog wagged his tail effortlessly and panted with a large smile.

"Koro-chan?" Fuuka's voice went up higher as she said his name. "Are you okay? What's with that collar?"

It was black with a purple buttons, and a tank top piece was strapped to his front legs, with curled in angel wings on his back, for design.

"That collar is made special to help him control his Persona. In other words, its an evoker for dogs."

"Wait… does that mean he'll be going into battle?" Yukari gasped.

"It's still surprising to me as well, but according to the tests, its possible. In fact, it was Chairman's suggestion… We'll be looking after him here in the dorm."

"No way! Is that okay with you, Koro-chan?" Fuuka rubbed his back.

"Woof!"

Aigis scanned him for a moment. "He said, 'I'll return the favor.'"

"Man, you're one loyal dog." Yukari complimented. Koromaru couldn't be more pleased with the situation.

"I can't believe we're gonna have a loyal dog help us! Welcome aboard, Koro-chan! You cute doggy you!"

"Make yourself at home! The more the merrier, right? Who cares if you're a dog?" Junpei and Yukari started petting his legs and ears as well, and he soaked in all of the attention.

"I want to take him for a walk!" Junpei decided. "It is summer vacation, after all! I got the time."

"Enjoy your vacation while you can: summer classes start next week." Mitsuru said cleverly. "I'll see to it that you graduate."

He chuckled. "H-hey, good one, sempai! You almost had me."

"Oh, this is no joke. We'll be taking intensive courses. I've already applied for all of us. The Chairman agrees it's a good way to focus and balance on studying with our late night excursions."

"You gotta be kidding me!" Junpei rolled on the floor, dramatically.

"You should be thanking her with the grades you have!" Yukari snapped.

"Finally! I was getting bored! I'm looking forward to it!" Ezi really wanted more time to search for answers, but she didn't want to argue.

"This sucks!" Junpei wailed.

"Woof!"

In any rate, SEES had a new ally. Koromaru… Though only a dog, he is a trustworthy partner, who would hopefully fight valiantly for his new comrades.

"Shall we test out your skills tonight, Koromaru?" Ezi asked.

He barked with approval, and the others made plans to go to Tartarus that night.

When they reached the floor, the black wire gate opened as they entered the stairway to the next floor, embarking on the pastel blue halls of the third black as they had before.

"Some of the enemies are bit different." Fuuka warned. "Be careful!" Akihiko and Mitsuru stayed with Fuuka this night, in case anyone form Strega decided to enter the tower.

The Shadows seemed similar to the ones on the previous floors, but a little bigger with stronger magic and firepower. The Insidious Maya with red masks could summon an explosion in seconds. The Mind Dice spun around in their chrome display, trying to slice and dice them. The Shouting Tiaras were larger with heavier crowns and more magic ice spells. Koromaru was holding a knife-like weapon that Mitsuru had provided him, and he used it to slash all the Shadows they faced.

"There's a large Shadow on the next floor! Be careful!"

"That was fast." Junpei commented.

"Are you ready, Koro-chan?" Yukari asked.

"Arf!"

"He said, 'I won't let you down'." Aigis confirmed. They walked up the stairs and activated the green portal, then they went to the hall where the large Magical Magus resided: a long white and black robed Shadow with a blue face mask and black hand wings wrapped around its body, with a jester-like hat on its head. It turned around slowly to face them, and then began flying around them in a circle.

Junpei swung his sword. "It's too fast!" One of the wings clipped Aigis, and she went flying. Yukari tried to shoot her bow, but she couldn't hit. The Magus blew icy wind at them with its black wings, Ezi summoned Naga to block the shards for them. Then, Koromaru jumped out. He howled, and from the energy inside him appeared the large creature, Cerberus. It had three black heads and a body like a black hound, with violet belly fur and pitch forks for its claws. From their three mouths breathed fire in on direction, then the other, circling the Magus so it couldn't fly again.

Ezi summoned Ose, a half–man half cheetah with a green cape on, to aid in the fight, and Junpei summoned Hermes. Ose, Hermes and Cerberus blew agilao fire at it until it perished in the flames.

"Wowie! Hermes is getting' tougher!"

"Good job, Koro-chan! That's one powerful Persona!" Ezi cheered.

"Woof!" he wagged his tale and jumped with Junpei.

"Let's keep going! I have way more energy after kicking a guardian Shadow's but!"

Yukari sighed. "Well, I guess we can go a little higher. I'm getting tired!"

On the next floor Fuuka made another announcement:

"There's someone on this floor! I can't pinpoint their location exactly, but we need to hurry and find them!"

"Okay, let's split up!"

"Hold on." Aigis pointed to Koromaru, who was sniffing the ground.

"Arf, arf!"

"He says: 'I can smell the human. Follow me'."

"No way, I'm totally following the dog!" Junpei declared. Everyone ran down the halls as they were being guided by the dog, and they fought some Shadows; there was an Ice Raven and Mind Dice that Koromaru and Yukari beat together, then they all reached the missing man at the end of the floor. Junpei and Aigis helped carry them to a portal on the next floor, then returned to ground zero.

"Good work. I'll send someone to pick this man up." Mitsuru and Akihiko went ahead with the man out of Tartarus.

"You did good today, doggie!" Yukari rubbed his head.

"Maybe Ezi-chan and I can make you some treats at the cooking club! I heard its really easy to make."

"Yeah, that could be fun!" Ezi agreed. "You deserve it, buddy."

Koromaru wagged and pranced after them. A new dog with more than helpful abilities, and it was another successful night in Tartarus. He had become a large **Strength** to the team!

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"What you got there, boy?" Ezi knelt down to see Koromaru batting something around with his paw. "Give it here, boy!" The dog dropped a red fountain pen, and it reminded her of something. She had breakfast and decided to take him for a walk to the Naganaki Shrine. It seemed like coincidence, but the sickly pale boy in the pajamas was sitting on the bench, soaking in the sun.

"Ah, there's the dog." He said quietly, as Ezi walked towards him. She handed the Fountain pen out to him. "And there's my pen. Welcome home, my dear friend." He looked over it for a moment. "Thank you for finding it for me."

"You're welcome. I guess he thought it was a toy."

The boy patted Koromaru on the head. "My name is Akinari Kamiki."

"Nice to meet you! I'm Elizabeth Leon. Ezi for short."

Ezi, have a seat if you like. I'll write something for the two of us."

"Sounds good! Writing eases the soul." She thought about her itinerary.

"Your friends with that girl right? The one from elementary school who comes here to play."

"Maiko? Yeah, she's going through a lot."

"Still, she has a warm glow like the sun about her, and all of that energy. And then there's me, cooped up in the hospital, struggling to breathe."

"You told her you weren't sick?"

"Only so she could keep smiling. Compared to her light, I'm a vanishing shadow."

"I wouldn't say that." He was dying. She looked onward with her hands on her knees. "I've fought Shadows before. The ones that choose to be a menace. You don't seem the type."

"There are different types of shadows; like the miserable type. Misery is a harsh mistress. I feel as though I'm lying in an unyielding darkness. Can you understand how I feel?"

She swallowed. "No, I can't… I don't know what that feels like. I'm sorry."

"I didn't think so…"

"Well, I've faced darkness before, maybe in more ways than one, but your battle is different."

"Yes. Any day now, I'm going to die. I have a genetic disease without any known cure. Unless you had it, you wouldn't understand. But I prefer it that way. I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

She thought about the circumstances of the young man, and couldn't help but feel guilty somehow. She was complaining to herself about having to go to summer school—imagine not even being healthy enough to attend school.

"…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to depress you or anything. Its just I haven't spoken to someone my own age in a long time. It's natural for those like me in the dark to reach and yearn for the world of life."

"You think I'm light?" She thought about her destructive Persona.

"There's no doubt to me that you are… I'm glad we could meet. If there's a god, I'll be able to thank him soon enough for this chance encounter."

"Maybe it wasn't chance. You seem like someone worth talking to, Akinari."

"Well, I would rather you not come back here to see me when I come on Sundays. You only live once, right? So don't waste your life on the dying…" He coughed a little and stood up. "Goodbye."

…The island was small. She would likely see him again. In her new acquaintance with Akinari, there was something calming and heavily bright about his aura, even if he was the dying man. Ironically, he seemed more like a refreshing **Sun** than a aimless wondering shadow; one she would see again soon.

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TO BE CONTINUED!


	15. Date 14: Ken Amada

A/N: YO~ I posted the last two chapters at the same time because I like these two (Not Ken, as much...) but I kind of see them joining at the same time! If you notice in the last one the scene with Strega was like in the movie, but Akamaru, Ken and Shinjiro were missing. That's because in the game they're not there yet! I know that does give them more time in the story, but the next block is gonna be super lanky anyway, because detail! And because Shinjiro! Anyway I hope this part of:

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~Persona 3 Portable~

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Date 14: Ken Amada

"Dude, the summer festival is happening this weekend. It will be a nice break after this horrible, shitty week of summer school."

"Summer festival?" Ezi echoed. She and Junpei were stalking to Gekkoukan High School in the unpleasant heat.

"Yeah, man. Its where they have all the stands with games and delicious food, and the fireworks, too! Also, all the babes get to wear a yukata! I expect to see you in one when we go!"

"It sounds like fun! Oh, but I don't know if I'll go if I have a lot of studying this weekend."

"Dude, seriously? You're the only person I can think of who would be psyched about stuff like this and still focus on your grades!"

Mr. Edigawa was their summer school teacher: He was teaching the rigorous courses of Advanced Historical Medicine and AP Calculus for extra points on the GPA's of the students that attended. Aside from the people in her dorm, Ezi barely recognized the other students in the classroom.

Every day was blurred with heavy note taking and reading materials and experiments—they went from topics of algorithms, to the predecessors of the pill, to the interesting lecture about the different arcana.

Every day, someone had somewhere or something to do that night relating to the summer courses, so they didn't go to Tartarus the entire six days. After every day had ended, she would hangout with any friends from school to grab some food before it was back to studying, like Saori, Fuuka or Yukari. It almost seemed like a mediocre break from fighting for so long.

Despite the heat, the studying continued.

On Saturday, she went to the pharmacy to get dog food and cat food, then went to the outskirts of the station. The measly cat was expecting her this time, behind the dumpster between two clubs. As she watched the cat eat, a man stalked behind her.

"Pretty little giiiirl," he had a knife in his hand. Ezi turned around and recognized him as one of the thugs that had attacked her and her friends when they had ventured into the outskirts before, "you're far from homeeee, aren't you? And your little men aren't here this time to save you."

Ezi rolled her eyes. "It's about time one of you showed up." She said.

"Have you been waiting for me?" He cackled, holding the knife up towards her. "Then, take off your clothes so we can have a good time!" He lunged at her with the knife. The cat behind her had already dashed away from behind the dumpster—

It happened so quickly. Ezi jumped to the side of him, spinning, snatched the knife right out of his hand, and landed, kicked him into the wall from his back, and he was knocked out. She threw the knife into the dumpster when she emerged from the back, then dusted herself off—

She stopped her prideful stride. Shinjiro was standing a few feet in front of her with wide eyes.

"…Good afternoon." She said, her eyes glued to him.

"…What did you just do?"

"N-none of your bees wax…" She stammered.

"Are you alright?"

They stared.

"…Yes."

"I heard what that guy was saying. Then, did you… take him out? All by yourself?"

"Y-yeah," She scratched her head. "Sorry I didn't tell you before."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Um…" She shrugged. "I don't know."

"What is it that you're trying to do?"

"…F-feed the cat."

"Again?" He sighed. "What if that bastard had had his friends with him? Or worse, if he had had a gun instead of a knife?"

"I still would have kicked his ass." She mumbled. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. Was she nervous, talking to him? She had thought of the talk she had had with Yuko and Rio on their basketball trip, and how she had decided to tell them about Shinjiro for some reason…

"Look, I appreciate your worry, but—"

Her eyes flung open. She saw him coming at her, quickly. She was about to swat him away, but for reason, decided not to. He yanked her up against the dumpster, her arms on either side of her, and he pinned her to it with his own body pressed against her. He was much stronger than she had expected, and despite her struggle, he kept her held against him.

After she stopped struggling, they continued to stare at one another.

Too close.

His face was too close to her own. No one had been this close to her in a long time.

"See? If one of those creeps had gotten you like this, you wouldn't be able to defend yourself."

"…Are you like them, then?"

He stared for a short moment longer, then stepped back, releasing her. "No." He put his hands in his pocket. "You're being irresponsible. You're supposed to be the leader but you're being reckless. Stop acting tough and use your head."

"I am using my head! Too much in fact, so I come here to clear my head. Why can't you just mind your own business? I get what you're saying, but really, I don't need your help." She dusted off her shorts. "If you go at me like that again, I'll kick you in the balls!"

"What?"

"You heard me! I only didn't hurt you because you're a friend of Akihiko's, otherwise you'd be on the floor crying."

He was stammering. "Hmph, you're so thick-headed. You really won't stop coming here, will you?"

"Nope."

He scoffed. "What am I even doing?" He said quietly, more to himself.

She waited for him to speak more.

"You…" He looked at her again. She swallowed, and looked back. She sort of wanted him to say something else.

"…Goodbye." She bowed neatly towards him, and ran off.

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When she got home, she fed Koromaru the dog food she had bought, and reflected on her encounter at the outskirts. She had been scared of the guy, even though she knew she could handle him— it had been a relief to see a familiar face like Shinjiro's when it had happened.

"Is it good, boy?"

"Arf…" Koromaru continued to chow down. Aigis was in the lounge with her with when Junpei and Akihiko walked in from their daily activities.

"Girls in Yukatas, dude! That's all I'm saying!"

"I really think you should be more upset that you failed that quiz today…" Akihiko was saying.

"Oh, the summer festival!" Suddenly, it sounded exciting to go with everyone. "It's tomorrow night, right?"

"Yeah!" Junpei yelled. "Um…" He hurried up the stairs, and Akihiko watched him leave.

"How has summer school been?" He asked her.

"Oh, busy. But I like what I'm learning!"

"I'm not surprised, considering you." He chuckled. "Well, that thing is tomorrow…"

"Yes! It is…" She paused.

"Well, g-goodnight!" He ran up the stairs too, and she put Koromaru's bowl away before going to her own room to relax for the night.

All this talk about festivities and yukatas, and seeing Shinjiro again, made her want to have fun with someone at the summer festival.

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The next morning, she considered doing some of Theo's request when her phone rang. The ID for the caller was Akihiko.

"Hey!" She shot out of bed. "Everything okay? What's the emergency?"

"What-? There is no emergency." He stammered. "T-this is Akihiko, by the way."

"…I know."

"Right! Well, there's that summer festival happening tonight." He cleared his throat. "It's at the Naganaki Shrine today… wanna come with?"

She paused, thinking about how she had seen Shinjiro so many times. Maybe, she should tell Akihiko.

"Sure! We can go. I thought we were going already?"

"Really, you did?"

"Yeah! Yukari said I had to pick a yukata out or something for the occasion, and I told Ken he should come with us too!"

"Oh, you meant, with everyone else..."

"Yeah! What were you thinking?" Now that he mentioned, they had not hung out much one-on-one since Ken had shown up and those girls had harassed her in front of the candy shop.

"I just meant, you know… that's fine. I'll se you all there tonight."

The girls had bought yukatas at the local sewing store, and they met the boys at the festival with Aigis, Kormoaru and Ken as well. They'd go into different groups every once and a while, playing games for prizes, going on rides, and watching mini shows on stage.

"Yukari, Mitsuru! Let's try the lily pad game!" Fuuka decided. Aigis, Ken and Junpei, Ezi and Akihiko went to the food stands. Junpei admitted to losing Koro-chan when he grabbed his food, so the group split up to look for him.

"Ezi!" Akihiko pointed forward, "the fireworks are starting soon, so the crowds are getting heavier. Don't get lost." He walked in front of her, and she grumbled as she had to stumble in her blue yukata to keep up with him. There dirt and sweat caking on her face as they brushed through the bustling people.

"S-sempai!" She coughed. "M-maybe we should grab onto each other?"

"You mean like hold hands? I don't treat you like a kid that much, do I?"

She sighed. He walked ahead even further, and she wondered if she should even bother to try chasing after him.

Ezi called Junpei on the phone, and with his mouth full, he admitted to finding Koromaru five minutes ago.

"That damn Junpei," Akihiko shook his head.

"Well, let's look at this place while we're here, we haven't been to these stands yet."

"A-alright." He agreed hesitantly.

"By the way, that looks hard to walk in." He stated, looking at her dress.  
"Thanks? I wore this on purpose so I would be struggling."

"Well, you didn't have to wear a yukata here, you know? Oh, er… I didn't mean, well…."

She gave him a suspicious look. Although, she felt embarrassed for wearing it, now.

"You don't like it, just say so. Yukari said traditional robes was appropriate."

"No! Not at all… It… makes it hard to look directly at you."

Her jaw dropped. "You… you!" She blushed, even more embarrassed. "I've never been so insulted! If you don't like it, then just say so, jerk!"

"No! What I'm trying to say is… Y-you look good in it! Don't get mad!"

She calmed down, and blushed for other reasons.

"Oh… thank you…" It seemed he was very happy she wore it.

"Wanna get some Tokayaki? We can share one. My treat."

"Well! If you're gonna pay…" She teased.

It was the same woman from before, when she had gone with Theo.

"We'll take one, please." He said.

"Oh, you are a good looking fellow! I'll give you two just for being hot, handsome!"

He chuckled nervously. "Uh, thank you…"

"Say, is this your girlfriend? Ahh, the good 'ol days of youth!"

"Uh…" Ezi just smiled.

"No! That's not it!" Akihiko protested. "Um, er…" He stammered as the woman gleefully handed them the sticks of food, and he quietly put the Takoyaki in his mouth.

Ezi giggled. "Thank you, ma'm!"

"Ouch, hot!" Akihiko said as they walked on. "That was a dangerous bout… but I came out victorious in the end. Here, eat up."

"You didn't burn your tongue, did you?" She asked, blowing on the squid.

"N-no! I'm good." They walked quietly as they dug in, spinning around all of the different shops together, until they were in front of a mask stand.

"I remember when I was a kid I couldn't even afford 500 yen masks." Akihiko mused. "I used my imagination, but its nice to actually be able to buy things now."

Ezi smiled at his story.

"Come on, Ezi-chan, pick one. I'll get it for you."

"Heh, alright…" She observed all the beautiful decorative masks and their designs, carefully, thoughtfully. She really liked the red and black mask, but…

"That one." She pointed. "The blue one."

It was a smooth mask with white light and wide eyeholes.

"Huh, alright." Akihiko grimaced at the creepy face of it. But even so, he had purchased it for her.

"Thanks, sempai! You're being really nice. This is actually a lot of fun!"

"We deserve some fun, I think." He said. "All this talk about the Dark Hour and Strega has probably been stressing you out, too."

He must have noticed the previous full-moon operation had plagued her thoughts.

"You're so nice, sempai!" She looked up at him and smiled.

He seemed astounded she was beaming at him, and he probably thought she looked adorable, so he had to look away.

They went to a ball game Akihiko paid for. Ezi stuck her hand in a bucket to pull a certain ball with a number on it tied to a prize.

"22! Wow, that's our first place prize!" The clerk declared. He gave Ezi a small kaleidoscope. "You are really lucky!"

"Amazing. Keep it, its yours."

She looked down at the prize. "You take it, Akihiko."

"You won it."

"I know! It's the least I can do since you're paying for everything. Besides I want to give it to you."

He had a perplexing look on his face as she dropped it in both of his hands.

"You can look up at the stars and think about the future!" She decided.

"T-thank you…"

The sky lit up and the lanterns turned off. Ezi and Akihiko watched the vibrant colors of the fireworks finish off the festival with a bang.

"I had fun tonight, taking a breather today. Thank you." He said.

"I didn't do nothin'."

After the fireworks finished, they joined the others in returning to the dorm together, resting from their long week.

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There was something calming about being in Tartarus that night. Every night they had to fight Shadows of course, but the exploration of finding yen or a lost person deemed even more rewarding. Not to mention, Tartarus itself had a beautiful architecture paralleled to all kinds of designs that were spot on to the block they represented. The tint of Turkish and water blue cascaded down their path with a shiny priority, as if they themselves didn't deserve to be there. How could such a mystical place be called the Tower of Demise by their enemies?

A twinge of guilt hit Ezi when Akihiko punched a Tiara into the wall, and cracked a piece of the grand design. Koromaru raced passed where they had just battled using an All-Out Attack, and located another Lost persona down the corridor.

She was sore the next morning, probably because they had run up and down the stairs fighting the ice ravens the night before, or maybe it was the one Champion Knight with the levitating horse and black armor that nearly broke their ranks. The Shadows were getting stronger, but so were she and her friends.

Things were normal in the dorm. She ate breakfast with the other juniors and Fuuka.

"Dude, the film festival is for like two weeks in a row!" Junpei declared, scraping butter on a piece of toast.

"Geez, how many festivals does this island have?"

"It's super cheap movies with free popcorn for the summer! Dude, we gotta go!"

"It does kind of sound fun," Yukari pondered, "Maybe this week we can go."

As much as Ezi loved to focus on studying, she was even more psyched about the Film Festival happening at the Shot Theater near the strip mall: All movies were half-off, and there were special events to be had.

Rio took her the first day, watching three short horror films in a row, with fake body horror that pleased the senses with some good humor. Saori went with her the next day, and they discussed how their summer was going, as the nature documentaries were a lacking until they showed the slow-motion action of the predators.

She met up with Theo who had known where to go from their previous visit to the station, and they went in to see the movie marathon for the day titled "tear-jerkers."

…Thankfully, the one movie they had seen was an action and a romance, balancing the two out.

Theo was slurping down his drink obnoxiously as they left the theater. Ezi snatched it from his hand and threw it into the nearest trash can.

"Ezi-chan, I-I was not finished—"

"Trust me, you were finished." She told him.

"Oh, have I irritated you? I must apologize."

"Its okay, it was the drink sound, not you." She laughed. "Did you like the movie?"

"It was quite beautiful, the use of forest scenery, the thought-out action scenes, the man and woman passionately—Oh." He blushed. "I-it was better than I thought it would be. Thank you. I learned something new today. Please, allow me to escort you back."

Ezi yawned as she walked with Theo.

"Are you tired?"

"Not really! In fact, we're doing better inside Tartarus. I would say the night of the last Shadow boss was difficult."

"Oh, did something happen?"

"We had an encounter of some new enemies, other persona users like us, but they weren't very friendly."

"Ah, I see. Well, you are a powerful user, I have no doubt you took care of them!"

"We did, sort of." She shrugged. "Anyway, what have you been up to, Theo?"

"Ah, me?" He pondered this. "Well, just, keeping the Velvet Room clean, I suppose."

"Theo, do other guests come to see you other than me?"

"No, you're the only one. But there were others before you, others with the same abilities that needed guidance on their quest for the truth."

"The truth, huh?"

"Whatever truth that they seek."

Ezi pondered this. They had walked to the end of the station.

"Oh, do you wanna see the cat you asked me to feed?"

"Oh. Y-yes!" He said quickly. Ezi led him to the dumpster behind the club in the outskirts.

The cat meowed at her, and Ezi took the little baggy of food from her purse and gave it to it.

"It's so cute," Theo said thoughtfully. Ezi looked over at him to see his entranced face observing the cat eat. "It'd been a shame if he'd died of hunger when it has so much life still within…" He turned towards her. "Thank you for feeding it. It looks much healthier than it did the last time I was here."

"No problem. I was happy to help."

"Um, here." He handed her some yen. "This is for the food you bought for the cat, you deserve it."

"You're too nice, Theo. It was only like 7oo yen for the food."

"So?"

"….This is like 120,000 yen. It's too much."

"Well, if you think it's so much for something like that, then consider it payment for, um…"

"For what?"

"I know, the shrine!" He said enthusiastically. "Yes, you can take me to the shrine!"

"Well, I guess that's not too bad. I feel like I've been going there a lot lately anyway. We can go on our next hangout!"

"That would be wonderful. I'll add it to my request list."

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The SEES team continued to take care of Koromaru, found some more missing people in Tartarus, and Ezi visited the old couple to get some manga to read. On the last week of the film festival, she decided to invite her dorm mates to attend some screenings.

They all went to the first screening together, Ken and Ikutsuki-san included: about the origins of modernism. Junpei was bored five minutes in, but he had been bored all week. The others found it a bit fascinating, but Ikutsuki had been the most thrilled and wouldn't stop rambling about it all the way back to the dorm.

The next day she went with Yukari to see the "willpower" series, which Yukari took to heart. When she went with Akihiko to see the action series, he was pumped up about the training and stuntmen performances, and declared he would do squats in the monorail on the way back.

…She decided to go back to the dorm without Akihiko. Ezi ended up going with Aigis and Fuuka to an ice age series the next day. By Thursday she was tired of seeing so many films, but she noticed Ken had been a little down, like the others had noticed. When she invited him to the movies with them, he respectfully declined.

Every day she wanted to sleep in, something awoke her. Akihiko was calling her this time, a notion she was getting used to.

"Wanna go somewhere today? I'm bored."

"You're not gonna exercise on the train again, are you?"

"No! I mean, unless you want me to."

"…No."

"Okay then! Hurry down here, I'll be waiting for you in the lounge."

"Right. Because it takes girls only 5 minutes to get ready for the day." She managed to be ready within 15 minutes, and Akihiko took her to the Wakatsu Restaurant with healthy food. They ate a Stamina meal that he had recommended. It was a huge bowl with noodles, green bell peppers, broccoli, eggs, meat… It was a huge plate. Luckily, she was able to eat it all up.

"Wow! You polished that up, like the ramen from before!" He seemed to be impressed.

"I won't have to eat for a year." She was full, satisfied.

"When I see the girls in my class, some of them only eat salads for lunch…" He rambled on about how he didn't need to lower his diet, and his workout regimen. They talked about it all the way back to the dorm.

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The evening the Film Festival had ended, Mitsuru called a meeting in the Command Room for an important update. Everyone, including Ikutsuki was there…

"Good, you're all here." He said. Ezi was the last to sit on the couch. "Please, come in." Ikutsuki called to someone outside the door.

Ken was wearing his orange and brown soccer uniform when he entered. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Oh! Hey Ken…" Ezi realized why he was in the room, the place they held operations for the Dark Hour.

"You must be kidding…" Akihiko said under his breath.

"After running a few simulations, we've learned that Ken Amada has more than adequate potential. I called this meeting to introduce him, since he'll be joining our squad."

"B-but Mr. Chairman, he's still in elementary school." Mitsuru protested. "Besides…"

"Besides what?" He retorted. "His ability is quite promising. With the proper training, he could be a big help."

"But is HE okay with it?" Akihiko turned to the boy.

"Actually, I asked to join." Said Ken. "I believe I can be of some assistance. Now, I know why I was given this power. 'Nice to meet you all, officially. I'll try not to get in anyone's way. I have been training already and doing some simulations. I'll do what I can."

"Nice to meet you too!" Ezi decided this would have to be okay. "Ready for the wringer?"

"Y-yep! I'll do my best." He tried to match her enthusiasm.

"Hey, don't worry kid. We got your back!" Junpei told him with a smile. Yukari and Fuuka exchanged looks, and Mitsuru and Akihiko were silent. Apparently, this was not an agreed upon decision, even now. Still, another member was added to the team… Ken Amada. He seemed very level-headed for an elementary school student. Ezi decided she would have to take care in supporting him for now. The others could handle themselves why she trained him.

"Okay! Meeting adjourned. Maybe you guys can teach this brave young man tonight?" Ikutsuki encouraged. "I was a real scaredy cat his age, so I commend you..."

The others went about their own business until the Dark Hour. They would only have about one more week to train him. Ezi joined Akihiko and Mitsuru in a discussion about Ken on the third floor where the girls' rooms were.

"I believe he can be a great asset to the team." Mitsuru concluded. "His age worries me, though. We will have to keep a close eye on him."

"Yeah, he's pretty amazing. He's young but he acts like an adult." Akihiko said.

"It's probably because of his mom's passing two years ago. He probably really had to grow up." Akihiko had a pained look on his face when Ezi reminded them of that. "Still, he is a kid, with less experience. We have to be careful! I'll do what I can to protect him!"

"I'm not worried." Mitsuru trusted. That night they went to Tartarus, and with the seniors, Ezi went with them and Ken inside the round portal to Tartarus. Ezi observed as he stretched before they started walking.

"Take this." Mitsuru handed him an evoker.

"I got you this at the police station." Ezi handed him a spear. "In case an enemy gets too close and you need to protect yourself fast! This is the weapon you told me about earlier, right?"

"Yes. I've practiced with sticks and fencing before so this should work." He twisted the spear both ways in his hand to analyze it.

She had wondered why he didn't just want a sword instead, but maybe there was advantage in length with his spear because of his short height. When it got down to fighting Shadows, Mitsuru and Akihiko seemed to stand in front of Ken most of the time. Still, Ezi got to see Ken wisp into the air with the spear as his prop as he stabbed a Maya into the ground before they reached a large guard Shadow.

There were two Furious Maya standing in their path: Large Muscular men with long magnum mustaches and blonde hair. They had black muscular bodies and golden tight shorts on like wrestlers, and they cracked their knuckles as necks as they prepared to fight. Koromaru growled at the things and summoned Cerberus quickly, but the agi fire used on the Shadows did not seem to penetrate their forms in the slightest. One of them began to charge at Mitsuru and Akihiko, who quickly jumped back and summoned their Personas to defend themselves. The other one went after Ezi, Koromaru and Ken.

"H-here it comes!" She wondered how she could protect Ken and fight this rather impenetrable Shadow as it approached, but then Ken was standing beside her. It seemed Koromaru was thinking the same thing, because even thought the dog was smart enough to notice his Persona could not use fire, he still did not give up; he growled at the Gigas and jumped towards it to protect his friends.

"Koro-chan, wait!" The poor dog was punched back and he yelped as he was flung towards them. Ezi hopped up and caught him before he could impact the floor, and she tumbled and slid back onto her back. Ken was left to stand and face the oncoming Furious Gigas.

"Look out!" She cried out. Ken had beads of sweat rolling into his orange uniform, and he seemed frozen as he watched the giant stand in front of him, ready to pound him into dust.

"I can do this!" He yelled. Ezi watched him put the evoker to his head, and it looked more unnatural to see a young boy do it then anyone else so far. The power that formed behind him was a black body as well, but it was thin and shiny and made of metal. The creature had pointed legs and dangling arms from the short body, which was encircled by a gear that looked like a Ferris wheel, playful, and it had big wide eyes and seemed to be smiling like a robot.

"Go, Nemesis!" Ken pointed his finger at the enemy, and his Persona Nemesis seemed to get to work. It did not move anything but its hands, and the wheel seemed to reel around its torso as it summoned a hamu light spell. Flaps of bright paper encircled the Gigas, until the curse attack destroyed it completely.

Ezi let Koromaru down and she raced over to him. "Ken, you did very well!"

"I didn't not much."

"Oh please, your Persona was amazing!"

Mitsuru had used bufu ice around the other Gigas' entire body, and Akihiko's Polydeuces had punched into the ice, crumbling the Shadow and defeating it.

"Ken, you okay?" The seniors rejoined them, seeing no one was harmed.

Mitsuru was smiling. "I saw what you did. It seems you can hold your own after all."

"Yes." Ken bowed slightly to them. "Please don't see me as a burden. I'll really do what I can to help!"

"No way. Welcome aboard." Akihiko sounded happy, but he had a look of almost disappointment as Mitsuru declared they should stop for the night.

Ken Amada. His past was unfortunate, but it had brought him to their specific dorm and now he was apart of SEES, fighting Shadows with the best of them.

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Pharos was standing at her side by her bed.

"Hello."

"Careful. I have an attack robot and guard dog now. They're very protective and wouldn't like you sneaking around here all the time."

He chuckled. "You're funny. I thought I'd remind you the next full moon will be in one week. If you do survive, only a few trials remain, so be careful."

"A constant reminder that my life is on the line! Thank you."

"I'll come back another time. Farewell." Pharos disappeared.

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The next morning she had breakfast with Ken and Fuuka: eggs and toast, which was all they could muster in their weak kitchen ingredients.

"I guess the lost have been increasing. I wish there was something I could do about it." Ken mentioned.

"Once we defeat that Shadow on the full moon, the numbers will drop!"

"So you're already helping, Ken-kun." Fuuka said.

"Well, what are you guys doing today? I was going to do some training, but everyone seems to be resting after last night… I was going to do some studying too, but its summer…"

"Ahem." Fuuka stood up. "Ezi, help me with the plates?" She took her to the sink and began whispering. "You should take Ken to the festival."

"Why?"

"He is new! And you always greet or take the new people out to get to know them better!"

"I do not!"

"You did for me, anyway… And Koromaru, and Akihiko-sempai, and Junpei said—"

"Okay, I see your point. It's just, he's a kid. Isn't it weird if I go with him? I guess I could get along with him, but still."

"Don't tell me you don't like kids, Ezi-chan?"

She thought about. "No, I mean, I'm not sure…"

"Give him a chance. Take him to the movies and see how he does!"

By the time they reached the film, they had only talked about their work and what they could do in Tartarus.

"I didn't know you could summon so many Persona. It's a useful trait."

"Yeah! Your Persona is pretty cool too. So… you knew about us the whole time?"

"All the sneaking out you guys did… It wasn't hard to connect the pieces."

"Well, you're very smart. Sorry we didn't tell you before. What made you want to join?"

Ken Amada thought about when he had seen Akihiko talking to that boy Shinjiro at the strip mall. They had mentioned an accident two years ago, and he had to investigate, for his own personal vengeance.

"Just to protect the people, I guess." He shrugged.

The set of films was themed "Monsters".

"This looks very action-packed. Ready?" Ezi asked.

"Y-yep! Um, I know we had breakfast, but…"

"I'll get us two popcorns too."

The film was mimicry of Godzilla, with a dinosaur-like monster with wings that attacked a city.

They walked out with the crowd back into the sun.

"Did you see that monster? It was from Renboman—the comics came out in the 70's, but this was way more awesome to see off the pages! The way the dragon breath melted the bars and metal of the ship so he could destroy the last ship was-!"

Ezi was smiling at him. His inner child was showing.

"—That is, it was okay. Fake graphics and monster, obviously. Still, I had fun."

"Glad to hear it! Now, you owe me 120 yen for the movie tickets."

"Uh-? Oh, right. I-I can try to pay you back…"

"I'm just messing with you!" She chortled. "You don't have to be serious all the time to prove yourself."

"I-I'm not trying to prove myself! I am this way… really."

"Uh-huh. Let's get some lunch before we go back!" They ordered healthy noodles at the Wakatsu. Ken was fairly quiet, and Ezi did recognize the oddity of going to lunch with a 10 year old however—or, however old he was.

"I don't actually know how old you are."

"Oh! T-twelve." He wasn't that little.

"Swell." Their food came, and Ken began to scarf it down. She thought about how lonely he must be, living in a dorm with older people; his own distant relatives didn't even seem to want him around, even though they paid for his education.

"I didn't know we were racing." He scrapped up his food like a poor child on the streets.

"S-sorry."

"I'm gonna catch up to you in no time!" She swiped a handful of the food with her chopsticks.

"Good. I wouldn't want to be the only one eating." They ate quietly for a few minutes until they were almost finished.

"This place is good. I don't usually go out to eat. I didn't when my mom was alive. I guess she was a good cook. I never got to tell her she was…" He started mumbling to himself as he raised his bowl to slurp the liquid.

Ezi frowned. "It must be hard. You sort of remind me of my brother: a kid, but he was always acting serious during important situations."

"Was?"

"Yeah. He's dead. Thief came in and killed him. My parents died in a car accident when I was a real little kid. Uh, I guess others at the dorm have had some loved ones who died too…"

She could tell by the look on his face he was not amused. He looked to the side with a grimace.

"I guess we're all just one big mess trying to save the world, huh? Anyway, I'm sorry things are so different for you now. I know from experience; the missing part never gets old, but things will get better for you in time."

"T-thank you, Ezi-san." He nodded. "You're all so nice to me at the dorm. I… I don't deserve it."

"Okay! We'll use you as a punching bag, then! I could switch to bully easy."

He chuckled. "I had fun. Maybe we should eat here more often."

"Okay, stay hungry then! I'll ask you out again soon."

"R-right! Okay. And just so you know, I'll keep working hard in Tartarus."

"I have no doubt you will."

"Uh, can I get something to drink, please? A large milk will do."

They finished eating and left to return to the dorm, and she was glad to know the child with wide-eyed brilliance and a goal for **Justice** a bit more.

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TO BE CONTINUED!

a/n: Yaas More Akihiko dates! The next chapter starts off (the best) one of my favorite parts of the game! Thanks for reading! Review please!

 _Farewell, My Dearest~_


	16. Date 15: Shinjiro Aragaki

A/N: HERE IT IS THE BIG KAHUNA. Well this is the last chapter of block 3 but ANYWAY I HOPE YOU LIKED IT SO FAR INCLUDING THE INSERTED PARTS ENJOY~

~Persona 3 Portable~

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Date 15: Shinjiro Aragaki

The Film Festivals were over, and school started again the next day. Hearing so many students in the hall groan and complain about being back made her wish she could stand out… but she was in the same boat. The morning of they had a student council meeting before class even started, so she had to be there early. Then, not in just one, but three classes she was picked on to answer questions about last semester. Like she cared to be correct with everything going on. She had a committee meeting as well with Saori, and the team discussed articles to write about in the school newspaper for the new semester. After that, Yukari invited her out to eat.

"I'm starved!" She admitted. "I forgot what it was like to be on a schedule when you can't do what you want. I haven't eaten since this morning."

"Yeah, I'm craving a burger or something!"

"I have to buy a book really quick at the store, then we can go eat."

They went to the Iwatodai strip mall, and as they reached the front of Bookworms, Yukari halted, and began patting her sides and pockets.

"Where-? It's not here."

"What's wrong?"

"Shoot!" She looked around some more then sighed. "I lost my wallet! Someone bumped me at the train station… I'll go see if its there still, real quick!"

"D-do you want me to come with you?"

"No! I'll be back real fast!" Yukari darted back down the stairs towards the path back to the station.

Ezi was alone now. She looked around the ground to see if she spotted it, but there was nothing. A minute more had gone by…

What if the shadow figure was all in her head? No one seemed to know what it was, the figure in the black hoodie. Not Pharos, not Theo…

Yukari still had not returned. Ezi decided to go to the station and help her look for her wallet. She walked down the stairs and saw the monorail from afar, but she couldn't see Yukari there. Then, she heard noises on the maintenance floor that was closed off with caution tape.

"…You say?"

"You better shut your mouth, bitch!"

There was unpleasant group of boys cackling, and Ezi ducked under the yellow tape and hurried down the stairs.

"…Can I get a piece of that, bro?"

"I don't see why not. She's a total babe- coming down here by herself! She's asking for it!"

Ezi made it down and could see Yukari being cornered by three older punks dressed in black!

"Hey!" She had her fists clenched and she was ready to fight.

"Ohh, another one! This day just keeps getting' better."

Ezi ran past Yukari towards the three skinny men. She slide behind them in a flash, with her hands on the ground and her back upwards. They had pained look on their faces before they do anything about the fact that she was about to prey on them; she punched one to the side in the face, the other she hopped up and kicked, and the last guy stepped back before she could reach him with her arm. She ducked as the other guy recovered, and he tried punching her from behind—then she made swift kick into his ribs and he flew back into the other guy, and then she quickly turned to the last one standing and upper cut him in the jaw before whacking him with both of her hands into the ground.

"What's going on over there?" Some people passing by overheard the event.

"Let's bail!" They all managed to stand up and scramble away down the hall.

"Yukari, let's go!"

They both scurried up the stairs and Ezi ended up following Yukari, who was running past the strip mall and into the higher floor of the station, until she stopped to catch her breath.

"Thanks…" She sounded appreciative.

"Are you okay?"

Yukari was still panting, and Ezi wondered how terrified she must have been.

"You got a little carried away…"

She scoffed, smirking. "Seriously, girl? I just kicked those creep's butt for you!"

"Do you think its funny?" Yukari turned to face her, snapping. "I got my wallet back, I didn't need your help!"

"I… Those guys were gonna hurt you. I had to do something…"

"You always come just in time to save the day! I…"

Yukari was trembling all over, holding in her cries.

"I'm sorry…"

"I need to go home now. I'll get my books later…"

Yukari ran ahead, and Ezi decided not to follow her this time. She went to get food, then went back to the dorm. She was actually feeling guilty for saving Yukari from who knows what those creeps would have done, even if Yukari hadn't meant what she said.

"Yo."

"Junpei!" She said gratefully. She walked in with him to their dorm. "Today was long! How was your day?"

"Well, it basically sucked. But, I saw someone interesting today at the Station… this girl, dressed weird, she's always drawing…"

"Ah! You are interested in this girl?" It caught her off guard. "Don't use any lames pick-up lines or you'll lose her forever!"

"Come on, give me some credit! We can't all be cute and perfect like you!"

She ignored the comment and the two of them walked into see Ken and Yukari sitting at the couches, a bit fidgety. She wondered if it had anything to do with the attack from earlier.

"Hey guys." Ezi said. "Everything okay?"

"Y-yeah. Come here, guys." She looked over to the restrooms. "Fuuka, is Aigis ready?"

"Yeah, we're coming." Fuuka ran out of the girls' room, and Aigis strolled out behind her.

"How does she look?"

Aigis was wearing their school uniform. "This is how I look."

"Cute! But its still too hot to be wearing clothes already…"

"She said she wanted to go to school, so I said it to Mitsuru-sempai as a joke." Yukari explained. "But the Chairman overheard us and thought it would be a good idea. So as of tomorrow, she'll be a junior."

"Seriously? He's down with that?" Junpei yelled.

"Great, she can 'protect' me there now too…" Ezi droned.

"He said he wanted to observe her in a social environment." Fuuka enlightened.

"I agree! I mean, just look how cute she is in that uniform!"

"The camouflage Fuuka-san has provided me is the appropriate size." Fuuka told them, standing up straight like a mannequin.

"It looks very natural on you!" Ken said. "No one will suspect a thing."

"I intend to synchronize my schedule with the other members. If I remain here on standby, it could delay our deployment…"

"I know where this is going." Ezi folded her arms.

"…Therefore, I request to accompany our squad leader."

"Delay us? Won't going to school create more stressful problems instead of helping us?" Yukari judged.

"I will make the right adjustments as problems arise."

"Uh, yeah, you do that."

Koromaru sat next to Aigis, wagging his bushy tail.

"Woof-woof!"

"He said: 'I want to go to school too'."

"Sorry buddy. No pets allowed on campus at all!" Fuuka felt she had discouraged Koromaru when he put his ears down and whimpered at the news.

"Aigis, you sure you can handle going to school?" Ezi asked.

"Affirmative."

"Then, do me a favor: you can make friends and stuff other than us, but don't tell them you're a robot, and definitely don't use your weapons for any reason."

"I will keep my disguise to match those of the high school students'."

"Great!"

Akihiko popped out from the kitchen. "Look, this was Mitsuru and the Chairman's idea! If something goes wrong, I'm not gonna be held responsible!"

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Ezi decided to avoid all the chaos in the dorm and take Koromaru out for a walk. They walked all the way to the shrine as the sun went down. Mr. Ono, the history teacher was there, still wearing his Kabuto-like helmet, as he strolled the park area.

"I've lost my flash drive!" He told the dog and Ezi. "Do you think inu here could sniff it out for me?"

"If it means no class notes tomorrow, then no."

"I didn't know you were such a joker!" Mr. Ono kept calling Koromaru weird names, but Ezi let the dog help him. They searched around the playground, and the shrine, until Koromaru dug in the sand box and found a small pocket sword.

"It's a flash drive, see?" He pulled the weapon out of its sheath to reveal a USB end instead of a sharp knife. "Well, thank you, great _Inuchiyo!"_

Koromaru seemed please to help him. "You're such a good boy! I'm very proud of you."

"Arf!"

After their success for the night, they returned to the dorm.

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The next day at school, Ezi walked alone, but she had sinking feeling she was being watched…

"Jesus, Aigis!" She was behind her at the front gate suddenly.

"So, this is Tartarus during the day?"

"Y-yeah, it's the school."

"I shall keep that information in my records."

Ezi walked with Aigis to her classroom, 2-F, where everyone sat down and Ms. Toriumi made an announcement:

"Class, we have a new student who will be joining us. She just transferred here."

Aigis stood up from her chair as if signaled to.

"…Please, introduce yourself."

"My name is Aigis. I am pleased to meet you all."

"What a rather unique name." Ms. Toriumi shuffled through Aigis' file, obviously because she had not read it yet. "Let's see… anything else I should know? No last name on these records… Weapon tactical unit?"

"Huh?" Yukari gasped. Clearly, Aigis' real records had been passed to the school on accident.

"Well, obviously it's a mistake. I guess you can't believe everything you read."

"Y-you can say that again, teach!" Junpei agreed.

Aigis sat at the seat beside Ezi. "This is a perfect chair to begin my educational activities at." She looked at her with no such desires. "My highest priority—"

"Is to learn!" Ezi tried to cover,

"—with this person at all times." To make matters worse, she pointed directly between Ezi's eyes.

"Not off to great start." Yukari mumbled.

"My, such drama and passion already!" Ms. Toriumi sounded excited. "Well, save the antics for after school, please."

Ezi groaned. Some boys and girls were giggling behind her at the mislead of Aigis' agenda, and they all tried to focus after that.

First Aigis appeared, then the dog, then Ken Amada. Now, there was a robot a school, and the mystery of Tartarus and the mysterious Pharos hanged heavy as they would have to begin balancing school life again. What on earth could possibly happen next?

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…Akihiko had something very important to say when he approached her at lunch that day.

"Sempai! Aigis is doing well. She already turned someone down 3rd period."

"Ezi, are you available after school?"

"Yeah, why?" His stern face concerned her.

"I have something important to do and I want you to come with me."

"M-me? What about Mitsuru?"

"It should be you. I'll be waiting by the gate. Meet me there, okay?"

"Y-yeah, sure."

She had wanted to go to the cooking club with Fuuka, but this rang more relevant. At the school gates, an annoyed Akihiko was waiting for her.

"There you are. There's something I have to do, and I want you to come with me."

"A-alright. Where to?"

"We're going to get someone. An older member."

She looked down and her heart sank. Akihiko was carrying a suitcase. An older member… it couldn't be… Where could he be taking her?

He led her into the Hagakure Ramen shop, and they immediately sauntered over to Shinjiro sitting at the bar. Ezi stiffened, unsure of what to do after seeing him again since the incidents in the alleyway.

"You're getting on my nerves!" Shinjiro said, and for a moment Ezi couldn't tell which one of them he was talking to.

"The situation has changed. Sorry, but I'm not asking this time." Akihiko plopped the suitcase onto the table in front of Shinjiro. "This belongs to you."

"What?" Shinjiro groaned.

"We have a new enemy, they're Persona-users, like us."

"Yeah, so what?" He groaned some more.

"There's more…Ken Amada has joined our team."

Shinjiro gasped and stood from his seat. "What the hell are you saying?"

"He has the potential, and Ikutsuki-san allowed him to join. He is now a Persona-user."

 _What?_ Ezi thought. _What does Ken joining have to do with Shinjiro?_

"You gotta be kidding me." Shinjiro sighed, sounding frustrated. "You gotta answer me one thing: was it his decision to join SEES?"

"Yeah, he volunteered."

"I see…" Shinjiro only took a second, "then count me in."

What? He was joining them now? It caught Ezi off guard, especially all of his connections back to SEES and Ken—

"So you're the one leading the operations now, huh?" The question was directed towards her, as if it was the first time he was asking, looking straight at her eyes.

"Oh! Uh, yeah." She straightened up.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you fighting for?" He was so direct, always so direct and intense. Ezi looked back into his grey eyes, as if they would have an answer to his question.

"Well…" She swallowed, slowly, so it wouldn't be as noticeable, "…I suppose it's to protect the people I care about, and to find, some answers."

"Is that so?" He said, then turned away to grab his case. "Well, you do your thing, and I'll do mine."

"Well, we are all on the same team, so it'd be nice if we at least tried to do the same thing together." Ezi said, but she was being ignored.

"Is my room still available?"

"Yeah, it's just how you left it." Akihiko answered.

"Sheesh, another girl? First Mitsuru, now her?"

Ezi opened her mouth, but Akihiko spoke first.

"So what? She may be a girl, but she's a hell of a fighter-"

"That ain't my point, numbskull." Shinjiro retorted. "I'm saying you got to keep an eye out for her. Honestly."

Ezi felt hot, flattered. He brushed by both of them with the case and seemed to be leaving for the dorm already. Ezi remembered how he kept on trying to help her in the alley… maybe he seemed intense and intimidating all the time, but really, he was more thoughtful than he appeared. Though shrouded in mystery, he seemed like a reliable partner.

This could not be Ezi's main focus, though. There were a lot of people in SEES now, so it meant more responsibility on her. She would have to stay sharp, and remember the enemies and goals of SEES, to stay consistent, and remain a strong leader.

"Let's go back." Akihiko said.

"But—"

"What is it?"

Something was stirring. His history with Shinjiro made him intense, and he had been acting weird when Ken showed up; now Shinjiro and Akihiko both seemed to have some sort of concern for the boy.

"Nothing. Let's go."

The others were buzzing about Shinjiro's appearance at the dorm when Ezi showed up. Apparently, he had zoomed in and upstairs to his vacant room without a word to anyone.

"He's so mysterious." Yukari whispered to the others. She was chatting with them on the second floor. "But, I think he's actually a good guy. He helped in that place before."

"Oh, man! We are gonna kick ass when Shinjiro starts fighting! He's so badass, like those quiet protagonists in video games!" Junpei said excitedly.

"Yeah, I think he'll be a good asset…" Ezi wasn't sure yet. They didn't go to Tartarus that night since Shinjiro was getting his room prepared, and turned in for the night.

.

.

.

.

Once school ended, Ezi went to the cooking club with Fuuka. They had ingredients for truffle fries, a delectable salty snack with oil and other flavorings of their own choices.

"Are you sure you don't want to do it together?"

"Y-yes! I need to practice more." Fuuka seemed motivated. They used their own separate plates and ovens and counters, working quietly with some hip-hop music in the back on the small stereo.

"I'm done!" Fuuka proudly showed a plate of unusually textured fries with bubbling red and purple skin.

"Nice!"

Fuuka grimaced when she saw Ezi's crisp, thin-looking fries at her table.

"Oh my, yours look good…"

"Yeah, you can have some!"

"Oh, right." Fuuka took one and bit into it. "It's so good… delicious! Ezi-chan, this is really great."

"So I'm good at making fried food… what American isn't?"

Fuuka was still frowning. "I guess… I'm no match for our leader…"

She popped.

"…I'm so tired of hearing stuff like that."

…

"…Huh?" Fuuka paused.

"Just because I'm leading us in Tartarus?" She scoffed, shaking her head as she gathered her thoughts. "I'm so tired of everyone comparing themselves to me! I shouldn't have these abilities with my Persona and I do, and I don't want to apologize for it every time someone notices! I'm not going to soften up on you guys because it hurts your feelings! I'd rather you hate me than be dead!"

"Ezi-san…" Fuuka looked like a scolded child. "I didn't know you were so upset about that.. I thought you liked being the leader."

"Sure I do. I have an ego, I'll admit, but I'll keep it down because keeping you guys safe is more important! I just don't want to be analyzed all the time. I don't care if you guys think I'm showing off, or if you think I'm perfect; I'm not perfect, and I'll do what I want!"

She had bashed her hand next to the stove, shaking the pan. The room was quiet.

"I… Sorry…" Ezi turned away. "It took a lot of work for me to get my skills to where they're at currently."

Ezi looked at Fuuka with determined, furrowed brows and a serious face.

"Are you just going to give up on cooking then, Fuuka? Or, are you gonna keep trying? There's always next time, in this case."

"Y-you're right. Thanks. I won't give up!"

She nodded, and they started cleaning up. They took a while to wipe off the oil and such, but they sat down and starting eating both batches of fries before they left.

"You're easier to talk to." Ezi admitted. "Sometimes with the others I feel like I have to keep a tough front, for them and for myself. They do like to gossip a bit, after all."

"I guess I never noticed how much pressure you must have all the time. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too. I know you're trying hard…." Ezi sighed. "…Don't kick me out of the club because I yelled at you. I-I wasn't really yelling directly at you…"

Fuuka chuckled. "It's fine. As long as you promise to help me a little more with cooking!"

"You got it."

.

They finished the fries and went back to the dorm together. The moment they walked into the dorm, Everyone was sitting in the lounge, and Shinjiro was standing with them and Aigis.

"Hey." He said, looking at Ezi.

"H-hi." Ezi looked around for a moment.

"I guess I haven't introduced myself, have I?"

"Dare you need an introduction?" Junpei interrupted.

He cleared his throat. "I'm Shinjiro Aragaki. Don't worry. I got your back."

Fuuka seemed hesitant. "Um… There will be a full moon the day after tomorrow. I'm sure another Shadow will appear so… please, be ready."

"Yeah. Ezi-san," Akihiko addressed, "you should probably get the team ready to go. If you're looking for a change, you should add Shinji to the lineup. You'll be surprised by his strength."

"Tch, it's no big deal." Shinjiro was moody.

"Yeah, you should be in there with us, to get ready for the Shadow." Ezi agreed.

"Yeah, okay." He said agreeably.

"Uh, did you want any special weapons? I have a discount at the police station-"

"No, it's fine. I used to be member of SEES, and I'm your sempai…. So you can count on me."

"Shinjiro was in SEES with us when we were in middle school." Mitsuru added. "You have no worries, he's reliable."

…Somehow, everyone saying she could trust him didn't convince her. Later in the night, the others prepared to march through Tartarus, one more time, before the full moon. Ground zero seemed much more crowded with the team they had now, from herself, to Aigis and Ken and Koromaru, to now Shinjiro.

He had an axe he carried over his shoulder, like it was cardboard.

"Alright. Leon-san, who should stay and go and who should go tonight?" Mitsuru asked.

"Uh, whoever's up for it!"

"We'll need someone to stay behind in case Strega shows up." Akihiko said. "But, I'm definitely going."

"Me too." Shinjiro said.

"I want to go with the sempais!" Junpei yelled.

"Affirmative." Said Aigis.

"I-I would like to go too! To be ready for the large Shadow coming up." Ken said.

"Aigis, stay here with Mitsuru, Koromaru and Yukari." When they entered, Fuuka sensed a large Shadow just before the blocked pathway. Junpei took out the small white hands in their way, and Ken speared a shouting Tiara with enough ease.

"There's a normal Shadow charging in your direction!" Fuuka warned the group. They could hear the oncoming trembling of a Minotaur barreling its way through the halls. Its hands were chained together as the masked Shadow pointed its horns at them as it ran with a mad cow noise.

Shinjiro pointed the evoker to his head, and from a gust of dark power came Castor: the black Persona had a skull head round metal body and long golden hair like Akihiko's, and it rode on the back of a black armored carousel unicorn with only one large hoof as its limb, and it hopped forward. It stabbed its horn into the Minotaur's head, right between its own horns, defeating it.

"Awesome!" Junpei cheered.

"That Persona…" Ezi realized she had seen it the day Strega appeared. He had been the one to save them from the large Shadow and poisonous gas by breaking through the facility.

"Alright, let's go." He said coolly. They went up the next floor to face the normal, guardian Shadow that kept them from proceeding: a Neutral Dancer, a wide Lover with a male and female body dressed and danced for a ballroom, with a large white heart above their headless forms and holding a sword.

They twirled chaotically towards them; Ken leapt to the side using his spear as a grappling, and the others jumped out of the way.

"There are more Shadow approaching!" Fuuka said.

Junpei looked upward and saw the Insidious Mayas dropping from the dark ceiling like dead flies. Their eyes sparked and started small explosions all around them.

"I got these guys!"

"Me too!" Ken yelled. They stabbed and cut at the mushy black, and the Neutral White attacked again. Akihiko used Polydeuces to duel the couple Shadow with its needle.

Ezi was behind the Shadow in a flash. "Ganga!" From her desperate choice, sprung a serpent like white woman with wings: Ganga blew ice from her breath, encasing the Shadow's legs in a block of scathing ice.

Shinjiro summoned Castor once more, and he and Polydeuces stabbed it one final time from either side, vanquishing it.

"Alright!" Akihiko cheered. Junpei and Ken stood to face them, thinking they had defeated all the Mayas.

"Ken!" Ezi screamed.

Shinjiro whizzed passed Ken; the boys eyes were wide and facing the other way, but he knew Shinjiro had saved his life. He threw his axe down with great heave, from his shoulder to the ground, chopping through the mask face of it.

"Whoa, nice sempai!" Junpei said, relieved. Ken was sweating heavily when he turned around to face Shinjiro.

"T-thank you." He said.

"Yeah." Shinjiro threw the axe over his arm again.

Junpei patted Ezi's shoulder. "That was a pretty sick Persona you summoned, leader! She looked like a mega boss from a game!"

"She did, didn't she?" She smiled.

"I don't sense anymore Shadows there. You guys can keep moving."

They walked up to the next floor, hearing some rumbling noises.

"Is that, trampling?" Akihiko and the others grew wary.

"There are three Shadows up ahead! But- they're not moving!"

"What's that noise, then?" Ezi wondered.

"Hold up." Shinjiro brushed by her and walked up ahead, she didn't bother to stop him. He looked around the corner and sighed.

"They're Shadows, blocking the path." Everyone looked over to see the Shadows down the long pathway: giant rock hands and arms, pelted to one side of the hall, swing a giant sword down across the floor; they were all lined up with each other, hammering down almost in unison.

"That is the only pathway to the stairs, I'm sorry…" Fuuka said weakly.

"Easy!" Junpei summoned Hermes, and it kicked the rocks; but no damage was caused.

"Polydeuces!" The white and blue Persona struck it with lightning, but it only sparked and bounced out into the air above their heads, causing them all to duck.

"Shit!" Shinjiro used Castor, but the trampling black monster couldn't break the rock.

"We may have to walk through, avoid the rocks…" Ken was saying.

Ezi closed her eyes. They needed something that would stop the Shadows from moving so they could get through.

"Persona!" From her energy came Saki Mitama, a smiling yellow droplet. It hummed and called a glittering dormina, a spell casted to enchant one's enemies to sleep.

The rock arms continued to slash down, until they slowly stopped, like a broken clock ceasing to tick; the front one stopped on the ground, and the other two behind it were in mid air when they froze.

"Another Persona?" Shinjiro thought aloud. "Hey! How can you control more than one?"

"Can we ask questions maybe after we get passed the giant swords?" She went first, and Akihiko beside her.

"Hurry." He whispered. "They might wake up soon."

It was like hiking through a cave, brushing under the stone and walking through the most open spaces. As Akihiko, Junpei, and Ezi had made it through, the Shadows started moving again.

"Guys, run!"

Ken was anxious, and he tripped over the blade of the middle Shadow. Shinjiro picked him up around his torso, and carried him like weightless doll through and under the last Justice Sword before it could chop them down. He jumped out of the path just in time, and they both tumbled onto the ground.

"You guys okay?" Junpei and Ezi helped them stand up.

She patted Ken on the back. "Close shave! You don't even have a beard yet."

He paused for a moment, reflecting in shock, then chuckled.

"We should go on to the next floor, find a portal, and split! But, we have just a few more until the block." She looked at everyone with a grin. "Are you guys up for it?"

"Hells yeah!" Junpei agreed.

"I-I agree!" Ken said. "We should finish to that floor you said…"

The fresh new team walked on the next few floors together. They fought Shadows, synchronizing their regular exploring with Shinjiro's moody choice of attack, and until they reached the gated entrance to the next block of Tartarus. Considering the big Shadow was coming up, one travel on getting to know Shinjiro would have to do.

.

.

.

The morning of the full moon, Fuuka told everyone to return to the dorm after school to rest, in order to avoid any unnecessary exhaustion. Still, Ezi went to the mall to get her Persona's and weapons in order for the night, entering the Velvet Room to see Theo and Igor.

"It would be easier to fuse the Personas if I knew what we were facing tonight…" She was pondering what to do out loud. "I have your Tiara hairs, by the way… they were not easy to get."

"Thank you!" Theo placed the hairs in a box and gave Ezi some clad armor. "I had another request, but I suppose you are preparing…"

"…Is it another visit to the human world?"

"How did you guess?"

"You get giddy about those ones."

"Well then! I would like to visit your world again!"

"I could squeeze that in… let's go."

They took the train around the island back onto the mainland, towards the Naganaki shrine.

"This place has spirits here, not like ones you fight."

"Oh, you mean, like spiritually? You can see them?"

"Indeed. There's one behind you right now."

"What?" She spun around, hearing Theo laugh lightheartedly.

"…Please don't glare at me so. I was only joking."

"Ohhh, Theo's got jokes now? Okay, I'll remember that."

Theo's eyes were glistening as they wandered from the jungle gym to the end of temple where the prayer box was. "Now then… The first order of business is to worship at the shrine, correct?"

"Cool. Uh, do you know how to do it?"

"O-Of course I do!" He said proudly. He took out his wallet and hung it upside down over the box, dropping hundreds of coins into it.

"Stop that's enough!" She said, panicking.

"Oh, of course it is." He slipped the wallet back into his pocket effortlessly, then rang the rope.

"Now, I just begin to pray, like so." He clasped his hands together, but said nothing.

"Hmm, I'm drawing a blank on what to wish for! This is not good!"

"Calm down, I'm sure you can think of something."

He grumbled for a moment.

"Ah, of course! I'll pray for your safety!" He started off enthusiastically. "I pray that my dear friend Ezi be safe on her journey, and…" He stopped again.

"What's wrong?" Ezi grinned. She couldn't help it.

"U-um, would you perhaps not listen to me while I wish? Its odd, I'll admit, but for some reason I don't feel comfortable knowing you're listening."

"Alright." She took a few steps away, but she still hear him mumbling as he finished.

"Everything will be all right now. You'll be protected for all eternity." He said with certainty.

"I wish." She chuckled. "But thank you for thinking of me."

"There, now you may pray." He stepped down and she put her hands together before the alter. "What will you pray for?"

"The safety of my friends." She decided.

"Ah, your precious friends." He said. "I would like to meet these friends you care about someday."

"As soon as I can explain to them where you came from without it totally being weird…" She prayed after that for a moment silently, and when she was done, she approached Theo, who had his mouth open in shock.

"Wh-?" He pouted. "You do not have to say your prayer out loud?"

"Nope."

"Then why did you allow me to-?"

She laughed. "Sorry, you said you knew how to use the box, so I just let you do what you wanted."

"Why you-!" His face was red, but Ezi couldn't stop laughing to appease him.

"Sorry, Theo, sorry! Just ask if you don't know how to do something next time!"

Despite the lecture, Theo humbled himself and began to explore the rest of the shrine, leading Ezi towards the jungle gym. Where they bumped into Maiko.

"Ezi-san!"

"…Okay. But, I don't think you should do that, Maiko-chan…"

Maiko looked over at Theo, who was going down the small slide. He was so out of place, a grown man going down a kitty slide and shouting out " _weeeeeee"_

"…Is that your new boyfriend, Ezi-san? You know how to pick them."

"No, he's a foreigner; I'm showing him around."

"Then, you're divorced from him, like my parents are?" She was about to start crying, until Ezi explained that they were friends and she would play with her another time. Maiko was suddenly hungry. After she felt like she knew what to get, she left the jungle gym.

"…I'll see her again soon." Ezi decided. There's no way that little girl was running away very far, if she was actually going to do it this time.

"Ezi, look at these bars!"

Theo's voice broke her from her thoughts, and she saw him balancing on the bars like a tightrope. "Yikes, Theo…" She rubbed her cheeks, exhausted.

"I-Is this not what this place of recreation is for?"

"Well, you don't use the bars that way, exactly." She said. She grabbed them and a few flips around. "They're mostly for hands."

He copied her, doing several more flips back and forth in reverse. "Ah, I see." He flipped off and landed towards her. "What an incredible way to remain fit!"

"Show off!" She nudged his shoulder. "Come on, it's getting late and we have to go to Tartarus tonight,"

"Indeed, the sun is setting," Theo mumbled. "but, what is this feeling? I must let you go home soon, but I wonder what this is… I don't understand it."

"That's just because you're having so much fun." She explained. "We can hangout some other time again."

"Yes." He bowed. "I would like that very much, thank you."

He led her down the steps and they returned to the Velvet Room.

.

.

Meanwhile, in front of the dormitory, Junpei was thinking about how heroic it was that every night he fought Shadows, he was technically fighting to protect that girl he had been meeting at the station almost every day. He had always wanted to be a hero, stand for some kind of truth- but when it came to her, his dreams were spired ten fold. As he stood there, someone with a chained axe attacked him, thwarting his plans of heroism for the night.

.

His friends at SEES would gather, but he would not be there.

.

.

.

During the Dark Hour in the Command Room, Fuuka summoned Lucia and searched for the Shadow's presence. The others are here waiting for her to finish, except Ken, who has left to look for Junpei.

"Tonight marks the 6th full moon… Do you detect a Shadow?" Ikutsuki asked.

6 moons… it had already been 6 months that they had been fighting together?

"Yes… It's near Paulownia Mall… I think…" She was trying to concentrate. "…For some reason I can't quite pinpoint its location. I'm trying to narrow it down."

"Is that its power?" Akihiko pressed.

"I don't know…"

Yukari was in the corner of the room, insuring her bow was ready for action.

"Hey…" Ezi approached. "You good for tonight?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry about before… I was just, really scared and defenseless…"

"We can talk more about it later. I totally understand! I wish people weren't such jerks…"

"Yeah, they can be as scary as Shadows sometimes."

Koromaru barked.

"He wants to know if everything is okay?" Aigis translated.

"Yeah! Just girl talk!" Ezi shrugged it off.

Shinjiro was impatient. "We have enough information to go on, we should head over there. We don't have all night."

Ezi put her cell phone to her ear, and Ken came into the room.

"Did you find Iori?" Mitsuru asked.

"I can't find him anywhere. His back pack isn't here, so I don't think he even came home yet."

"That idiot!" Yukari snapped. "He knows tonight's the night!"

"Yeah, that's what worries me." Ezi hung up. "He's not answering my text or calls either."

"I don't sense him nearby. Should I take time to look for him, just in case?"

"No, it's okay." Ikutsuki answered. "You're all young, sometimes you guys just get in one of those moods."

Ezi wondered if he was upset with her again.

"We can't afford to waste anymore time. Also, we'll need all of us present to prepare for the large Shadow." Mitsuru decided.

"It's go time!" Akihiko proclaimed. Lucia disappeared, and everyone went out the door, but Shinjiro pulled Ezi back by the sleeve of her uniform. He came to talk to you after everyone left.

"Hey, did he say anything earlier?"

She was annoyed he had pulled her back, but now wasn't the time to start a fight. "No… I haven't seen him since class ended. Are you worried?"

"Whatever." He left with somewhat of a frown.

"…That was a yes, probably."

At the Paulownia mall, they had decided to break the door open to get inside; the fountain was the only thing operable, and its running bloody red water as Fuuka continued to search for the Shadow's location.

"I sense only a faint presence… but its so close. Why is that?"

"Alright, we'll split up—" Mitsuru began.

"No! This is my responsibility. Give me one more moment!" Fuuka insisted. She began muttering. "Tell me, Lucia, what is this thing that deceives me?" She began to mumble something about the elements, and it seemed like she was going crazy.

"Hey, is she okay?" Akihiko seemed worried.

"Don't break her concentration." Mitsuru warned.

"…Right, underneath our feet? Some kind of… webbing?"

"Spider?" Ezi yelped.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the old power cables underground." Aigis stated. "They run in many directions, like a web."

"Could that be what's blocking the signal?" Akihiko guessed.

"Thank you Aigis… I understand now." Fuuka realized. "The cables themselves have been possessed by the Shadow."

"Say what?" Yukari and the others' minds began to spin.

"It's connected all around this place? How are we supposed to defeat something like that?" Ken sounded hopeless.

"There are other Shadows underground as well."

"We can figure out the situation better when we go down there!" Ezi decided.

"I agree. We're wasting time." Shinjiro added.

They went into the club, seeing the giant creature standing there. There was a horrible scream coming from the dance floor. The shadow was a one eyed, anthropomorphic, four legged, wiring thing that's cords spread to the floor and ceiling, covering the club's walls. Its large body smashed the glass tile of the disco floor into the ground. The electricity was zinging through the walls and around them.

"Everyone, spread out through the Club and get those cables cut off!" Fuuka cried. "You won't be able to defeat it with this kind of power giving it more energy!"

"Let's go!" Mitsuru and Yukari went in one direction, and Aigis and Koromaru in another. The Shadow made a horrible cry as it began to charge up. Akihiko summoned Polydeuces and tried to sting it with its needle, but the Shadow was encased in some electric barrier and Polydeuces fell back.

"Fuuka, there has to be a main power source!" Ezi insisted.

"It's down there! In the basement!"

"We'll hold it off." Shinjiro winced and covered his head for a moment as the electricity intensified.

"Yeah, this is the perfect job for us!" Akihiko said confidently.

"Leon, Amada, over here!" Mitsuru led them down the stairway to the basement on the edge of the club, and they split up when more Shadows appeared. Koromaru and Aigis danced down the stairs, shooting and swinging at the ice ravens with their cold lanterns and intercepting nosedives towards them. Yukari, Mitsuru and Koromaru took a catwalk up to the main power source, and Ken and Ezi became surrounded by Tiaras.

"Ready, Ken?"

"Yeah!"

They connected their Naganata and spear together. Ken ducked down as Ezi exclaimed and spun around like a heavy twister, slicing through the hairs of the Shadows and wiping them out. They high-fived and grabbed their own weapons again and continued on. Yukari fired at the last Tiara in their way, and the group met up again to slash the power generator at the end of the basement.

"That did it!" Fuuka proclaimed. The Shadow's energy was cut off, and the lights stopped flickering around it, but it used one more heavy shock attack on Akihiko and Shinjiro, who used their Personas to block it, since it was immune to lightning powers. With one more crushing blow from Castor, the Shadow collapsed.

"Excellent team work, everyone!" Fuuka cheered.

"Phew! That was pretty tough." Yukari admitted. Everyone met in front of the Shadow again. Club Escapade was in shambles; cracked structure, and wires everywhere… not to mention the Shadow had crushed the stage and dance floor indefinitely.

Even so, the Shadow had been defeated. Shinjiro and Akihiko sat back to back on one another.

"Are you two alright?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah, but we're totally gassed. You guys can have the finishing blow." Akihiko answered.

"I can do it… if that's okay." Ken approached.

Another one down. "I guess… Soon, it's going to be over, huh?" Ezi reflected.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shinjiro snapped.

Everyone turned to her to hear the answer.

"I, that is…" What had she meant? What did the Fall mean anyway?

"Hey, answer me!" He snapped, and stood up with his last bit of strength.

"Take it easy, Shinji." Akihiko was too tired to move.

"Are you saying you're fine with it not being over? That you're fine with the Shadows and the Dark Hour? Is that what you're saying? You think this is some kind of game!"

He approached, but Aigis stepped in front of him robotically with her arms out.

Ezi looked passed the angry Shinjiro and could see the Shadow moving again; it raised its head up and meant to throw its large orange chin down on the boy.

"Ken!" She used her evoker. Queen Mab appeared, an ambiguous persona with green arrows across her skin and mask, with fluffy pink hair and a long sash.

It stepped up and held onto the Shadow with his red gloved hands before it could crush him. Ken stepped back and put the evoker to his head, but the wild Shadow swung its neck and Queen Mab into Ken. Shinjiro was there to catch him, and they both fell back. Mitsuru and Yukari summoned Lo and Penthesilea to evoke the final magic and stab a blow onto the Shadow, and it disappeared.

"N-nice job." Yukari said dully.

"You too, Takeba."

"You guys okay?" Akihiko went to help them up.

"T-thank you, Shinjiro-san, you too, Ezi-san."

"You can't honestly tell me you enjoy kids nearly getting killed by monsters." Shinjiro was pressing her again.

"I-I was just talking about the Persona themselves. What's wrong with missing the ability to summon this power? I know it's dangerous, okay?"

"Uh, I think I found Junpei!" Fuuka changed the topic. "He's at the dorm, but something's strange. We should head back just in case. The Chairman's there too."

The team walked quietly back, quickly, and went to the roof, where Junpei was having a conversation with an odd girl. He was tied up by ropes, and the girl turned to look at them with a mild disgust and lowered eyes. She looked like a cosplayer, wearing white ribbons in her long, red hair that went down her back, and a white 19th century dress with a choker.

"They're back already? It seems you were not able to call off the mission." She was saying it to Junpei.

"She's a Persona-user." Mitsuru gasped.

The girl pointed a gun to that seemed to be an Evoker at herself.

"Chidori, stop!" Junpei cried. He tackled Chidori, causing her to drop her Evoker, and she exclaimed as if she were distraught.

"Sempai, get her gun!" Junpei was struggling to stay on her.

"No, give it back!" Chidori reached for it as Akihiko picked it up quickly.

"Sorry, but we can't let you use this."

Ikutsuki came out and heard all of the commotion. "When did she get here?"

"Aigis, restrain her!" Mitsuru demanded.

"Understood." Aigis rolled Junpei off and picked up Chidori, holding her arms behind her back.

"I didn't sense it until this very moment… this is my only power, and yet…"

"Don't be hard on yourself." Ezi said.

"She must have some kind of power to conceal her presence… I didn't have the slightest clue either of them were here." Ikutsuki added.

"Well, where did she come from?" Yukari used an arrow to rip the rope on Junpei.

"Are you a member of Strega? I have some questions for you." Mitsuru became serious.

Chidori's legs gave out and she sunk. "I'm not…afraid… of dying…"

"Chidori?" Junpei sounded concerned.

"M-Medea?" She wept quietly, shaking.

"Clearly, she's emotionally unstable. We'll let her rest; save our questions for later."

Ezi frowned. This must have been the girl Junpei was talking about before.

They had defeated yet another Shadow, with their new crew of SEES. There would probably be less victims. But now, a new adversary emerged. Shinjiro was angry at her. The Dark Hour was drawing to an end, and there was a little boy sharing his warnings every so often, and a blue door. Perhaps Ezi was too exhausted to think about it much. Mitsuru handled taking the girl to the hospital with the other seniors, and everyone went to bed.

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END OF BLOCK 3.

TO BE CONTINUED!

a/n: Hey! Shinji has joined the ranks! This next block, halfway through it for the most part anyway, will be broken down. Each chapter will have to have at least 2 or more parts!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it so far! R&R~!


	17. Block 4: Date 16: Waning Gibbous- Sun

A/N: YeaaaAAAHHHHHHH. Hi! Thanks for the reviews so far, I really appreciate it! TO clarify some there will be a love triangle for the most part... with you must know who by now :D anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter~!

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 **BLOCK IV: Phases of the Moon**

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~Persona 3 Portable~

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Date 16: Waning Gibbous—Sun and Moon (Part 1)

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It was hard to wake up the next morning, because everyone had stayed up long after the Dark Hour. Mitsuru had called in doctors who had connections to the rehab center at the Memorial Hospital, to make sure Chidori wouldn't harm herself while in custody. Junpei was the most upset about it, so everyone could tell he had had some sort of connection to her, even though she threatened their lives on the roof top. Everyone was hoping to get some info from her about Strega.

Ezi knocked on Junpei's door one morning, hearing loud rock music playing on the other side of it.

"Hey, open up!" She waited a while before he finally opened it, slouched in his grey wife-beater tank top.

"Hey." He said dully.

"Akihiko and Mitsuru are still at the hospital, right?"

"They won't let me see her!" He shouted. "They say the visitors will be restricted for a few days, so I haven't been able to talk to her yet!"

"Junpei, was that the weird girl you were telling me about?"

He said nothing, but nodded his head.

"I'm sorry, Junpei. I know what it feels like to be used-"

Wait, she did? When had she been tricked by a potential lover and used? Never in a lifetime of her own she could remember, but it was a nostalgic feeling, and blue was the essence of it.

"She didn't trick me, she's just confused!" He snapped. "At least, I think she is…"

Ezi patted him on the shoulder. "Let's hope so, and let's hope the seniors can get something out of her about Strega, whatever they're up to."

He shrugged. "Yeah, here's to hoping."

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As the day continued, everyone seemed to be resting still from the operation, and Ezi joined everyone but Junpei and the seniors to lunch in the lounge.

"Oh good! I see you have a proper salad and burger to eat this time." Ezi said to Ken.

"Yes, thank you."

"Hey Ezi," Yukari and Fuuka approached. "Any news from sempai?"

"Nothing. I guess Chidori's been knocked out for most of the day by the medication to keep her calm. I almost feel bad for her."

"Yeah, but she tried to kill us!" Yukari reminded. "I feel bad for Junpei, though. He seems to be really upset about it all."

"Mitsuru and Akihiko have been out a while," Fuuka said worriedly.

"Yeah, they probably went out together after they visited the hospital." Yukari guessed.

"What?" Ezi was stricken at the thought for some reason.

"Well, yeah. They are together a lot, and they've known each other a long time. It wouldn't be surprising if they liked each other, actually." Yukari continued.

"That is true, isn't it?" Fuuka agreed. "They would make a nice couple!" Then she gasped. "Oh, but we shouldn't gossip about them."

Ezi stared; at them or into space, probably. She was thinking about the idea of them as a couple. Akihiko was always being nice to her, and she understood him more, but not Mitsuru. Still, she could picture them being a number.

It bothered her, like a buzzing bee in the back of her brain.

Her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good afternoon, this is Theo."

Junpei didn't reply to anyone as he hurried out the dorm.

She watched him run down the stairs and towards the station.

"H-hey, Theo."

"The block inside of Tartarus has been broken. You may enter the next area now."

"Thank you."

"Goodbye for now."

She hung up…

"I guess Junpei really likes her." Fuuka began.

"He keeps asking me to go!" Yukari grumbled. "I better go with him so he doesn't freak out over there."

"I'll go with you!"

Ezi was wasting too much time on the thought. If Mitsuru and Akihiko did like each other, it was none of her business…

They went to the station and were fairly quiet as Junpei waited anxiously to reach their destination, and her heart was stirring. She more than anyone knew feelings were a curse, infiltrating what could have been a successful "get-along" with all of the relationships in her life, once and a while they condemned her to situations like this.

She was jealous.

Akihiko, as well as others like Yukari and Theo, volunteered their time to spend moments with her, moments she was beginning to appreciate more. She respected Mitsuru for her attributes and careful planning she took into SEES, but as far as having a bond with her, there was no sign of it yet. She never took the time to speak casually with Ezi the way the others had, so she had to assume Mitsuru was some sort of authority figure who didn't care about friends, only about being cordial to the point of functioning smoothly. She was also beautiful and elegant.

But it was true, they had known each other for a long time. It wasn't her place to be scornful over something so petty. She didn't even actually _like_ Akihiko, right? She enjoyed spending time with him, this was for certain, and he was adorable, but when it came down to it, did they really get along?

She decided her jealousy was not targeted on Mitsuru and Akihiko particularly, but the idea of someone having a bond as long and as close as theirs… She had her friends she graduated with back home, but there was something missing. A love she had been avoiding? A truth she didn't want to really find, because of the emotional strain it would produce? Either way, she was confused.

At the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, Mitsuru was questioning Chidori about her affiliation with Strega, but every time the girl had finally calmed down, she said nothing.

"Hey you're not supposed to be here!" Akihiko was trying to block Junpei, but he slipped under him and ran to the room. When he did, Akihiko let Ezi and Yukari come in.

"Chidori!" Junpei sounded relieved.

"Junpei! Sorry, he kept bugging me about this place…" Yukari tried to explain.

"How are you doing?" He asked, and she didn't reply. "Are you recovering back to your old self?"

"She certainly has. In fact, she won't say a word." Mitsuru sounded rather irritated. "Maybe we should confiscate her sketchbook, too." Chidori clanged to it tighter in her lap.

"Hey, come on, what good would that do?" Junpei defended. "That won't make her talk!"

"I'm not so sure about that. She was quite upset when we took her evoker. Speaking of which, where did you get that?"

"Medea!" She looked with a scowl at Mitsuru. "Give it back to me! I want her back!"

Now, Akihiko was stressed. "Hey, I told you not to bring that up, Didn't I?"

"Then, what am I supposed to do?" Mitsuru sighed, trying to calm herself down. "I'll have someone else try next time."

Akihiko and Mitsuru seemed to have been fighting like an old couple.

"Why…Why did you take it from me…. Medea…" Chidori was rocking back and forth, gripping her sketchbook.

"Yukari, call a nurse. We're done for today." Akihiko proclaimed. "I'll inform Ikutsuki-san of the difficulties we're having."

"Okay. Junpei, let's go…"

"Chidori, what happened to you?" He said quietly as they all left.

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She wasn't feeling well, but she went to Club Escapade that night to see the damages. It was still open, but the stage and dance floor were obviously closed off with yellow tape, but the bar and upstairs tables were open. She spotted the monk in his usual spot on the second floor.

"Hey, it's you, weird kid! What are you doing here?"

"Getting a drink." She mumbled, sitting at the table across from him.

"Don't be joking like that, little girl. These things are life-ruiners if you get too attached to 'em." He said, downing a shot of sake.

"I'm joking, but I could use some relaxation right now."

"Well why the hell'dyah come here? This music gives people headaches and it's the last place to be relaxing at for a kid yur' age."

"I just… wanted to get away, I got a lot of responsibilities poured on me recently."

"Yeah?" The monk began telling some stories about his youth as a priest and monk for the shrine. He had funny stories of inexplicable marriages, and sad stories about the funerals he had to lead. He also told her everyday he had to do the work, even if he didn't want to, and it grew extremely tiring; everyday doing the same service, either a wedding, a sermon, or a funeral.

"But you still wear your monk clothes, so you must have liked the responsibilities a little?" Ezi asked.

"Heh, sure I did. The routines were the same but it's the people and the specific situations that made it worth while. Heck, I met my wife doing that job, even though she hates me now."

Ezi pursed her lips, pondering. "So, the responsibility was harsh, but it was the moments and relationships you had that made it worth while?"

"I guess so kid, why ya asking me? Surely you know what I'm talking about."

"I guess I do like it, even though I shouldn't…"

"You don't seem the type to care what people think. If you like yur work, then so be it."

Shinjiro had snapped at her about her comment after the fight; no, the underlying truth of the comment. She didn't want SEES, Tartarus and the Dark Hour to end, even if it was brutal. It must have been her friends, the ones she was so jealous and joyful of, that made it worthwhile.

She smiled. "Thanks, I think I get you."

"Well, that's nice." He sipped up the drink in his hand. "Now, go have some moments in your responsibilities. Sure as hell is nice to run away from them once'n a while, but the job itself isn't always so bad."

Heading towards the velvet room, she felt much better. She took some missions from Theo and went back to the dorm in peace.  
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The next day afterschool, Junpei went to the hospital to visit Chidori. The sempais were there again, or just Mitsuru and Akihiko, anyway. Fuuka had asked Ezi if she had intensions of going to the cooking club, so she did.

Fuuka worked quietly on the dough to make cookies. She seemed depressed.

"Are you tired?" Ezi asked.

"Oh? Y-yeah…"

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I just, want to be good at this."

"Cooking? Well, maybe its not for you, but you can get better."

"I know, but… I want to be good at something."

"You help us in the Dark Hour all the time!"

"That's true… except, the other night I couldn't even sense Chidori. I make mistakes even there. Besides, it seems like everyone else is good at something other than their Persona powers."

"But, you're insistent on things."

"Even so, I have a nag for looking at things on the negative way than the positive way."

"It's easier to look at things that way… then, you won't be disappointed when things don't go the way you want them too. But, even when you're feeling that way, things can still turn out great!"

Fuuka nodded. "You're right."

They made sugar cookies with fresh frosting, and Fuuka asked questions all along the way.

"I guess I'm good with technology."

"Well then, do something with that." Ezi shrugged. "Whatever it is you want to do, I'll help you find it! Just take your time though. Nobody has their life together all the time."

"Y-you're easy to talk to as well… Thank you, leader." Fuuka became giddy and excited as they finished the cookies up; maybe it was all the sugar she had eaten. Either way, she was feeling much better when they both walked back to the dorm.

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When they reached the door, Koromaru ran up to greet them.

"Hi, Koro-chan!" Fuuka petted and rubbed the soft dog on the steps. Ezi was anxious to get inside, but she noticed a shadow on her arm that was moving when she reached for the knob.

"Look out!" Fuuka and herself stepped back—and a spear dropped down bounced off the concrete.

"Are you okay?" Ken was hovering his head from over the roof. He vanished before he could get a reply, and Ezi grabbed his spear and they walked in.

Ken was down the stairs in seconds, panting.

"Are you guys okay?"

"You tried to kill me! If you hate me so much, just say so." Ezi teased as she tossed the weapon back to Ken.

Shinjiro had his hands in his pockets as he walked casually down the stairs behind Ken.

"I told you you didn't hit anyone. Get a better grip on it next time."

"R-right! S-sorry." Ken lowered his head towards the senior in shame.

"Shinjiro-sempai, are you training Ken-kun so he can get stronger?" Fuuka's eyes widened with wonder.

"Hmph, he asked me to." He said. "Let's take a break for today."

"A-alright! Thank you, Aragaki-san." Ken bowed respectably and headed to the kitchen with his spear.

The girls went upstairs; Fuuka went to her room, and Ezi met Yukari on the third floor lounge chairs.

"I can't believe we have all this work from Edigawa's class. It's so pointless." Yukari was scanning through the pages from their homework packet.

"Yeah, I should get started on that too." She sighed.

"Oh, by the way, Mitsuru asked if you could do your annual thing with Shinjiro, too."

"…Annual thing?"

"You know, the "take the new member out to dinner", thing."

"When did this become an annual thing?"

"You do it with everyone who joins."

"I do not! Why didn't she just ask me herself anyway?" The aggravated thoughts of Mitsuru from before were back. All boss, no bond.

"She said she would text you, but to remind you just in case. Personally, I think she's just trying to keep us busy while they're interrogating Chidori, since we won't be able to go to Tartarus until they come back."

"Oh, right… Well, I've been pretty tired, I don't think I'll want to…"

Yukari chuckled. "Nice excuse! You're never tired. Besides, I know why you really don't want to take him out."

"You do?" What did she mean by this, Ezi wondered critically for a moment.

"You're afraid of him, huh? I totally get it, he's kind of a scary person."

"Shinjiro-sempai? Nah…" He was intense, and apparently he didn't like what she said the night of the full moon. "So… how have you been?"

"Since those guys tried to jump me, you mean?" She scoffed. "I was really scared, but I'm glad you were there."

"Well, we never got to go out to eat after that."

"Yeah! Maybe we should try the Paulownia Mall next time… Oh! And we could do Karaoke!"

"Why didn't I think of that?" She perked up.

"It's so much fun! You know I used to do it with my mom before she changed."

"Oh… I bet she changed after your dad died?"

"Yeah. She's probably living with one of her boyfriends now—Well, I don't want to think about it." She shook her head. "We do need to do Karaoke, though."

"Maybe we could do it here in the dorm!"

"No way. I'd be too embarrassed in front of everybody to try it!"

"That's why we should try it sometime!"

It was good to see Yukari was doing better. They studied and went to bed early.

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The next day in physics class, Aigis had an argument with Mr. Takenozuka about how "shadows" were an entity split apart in a different time, not the absence of light. It was a rather busier day then usual, and Ezi had to go to the Student Council meeting without Mitsuru there, so she basically had to lead with credentials she hadn't been paying attention to about the school. Hidetoshi scolded her for being so behind on some of the updates in certain areas, because most of the time was spent just catching up on things rather than actually selecting solutions.

Either way, she hadn't forgotten to get the school's "theme" song that the music class had created for Theo; it was a search to find, having found a copy CD of it in the science room after student council meeting. Despite her tiredness, she went to the mall to give it to him to listen to.

He insisted he listen to the song with her, and he played it on an old stereo in one of the door rooms as he played it.

"This music is surprisingly more intense than I could have expected it to be! The clash of instruments, the clang of melody…"

"Yeah, it's a real classic." She drawled.

"This makes me more intrigued about the facility in which you are educated."

"Oh, you mean my school?"

"Precisely! I think I shall make it a request for the new list I am creating. I am most curious about the customs and schematic methods of a school, as you call it."

"Heh, okay. Make it a request and I'll see what I can do."

By the time Ezi left Igor and Theo in the Velvet Room, it was already dark.

At the dorm, there was no one in the lounge but Shinjiro, leaning against the wall by the kitchen, looking at his phone. He didn't budge when she walked in. She felt a wall between herself and Shinjiro.

"Good evening," She said rather politely, "Are you hungry? I was thinking we could grab a bite to eat."

"Huh?" He finally looked towards her. "With me?"

"Uh, as leader, I take everyone out to dinner when they join, so I have to keep tradition. Have you eaten yet?"

"Oh. Not yet."

"Perfect! Let's go somewhere to eat then!"

"You don't have to, it's not necessary." He closed his phone and straightened up, bringing all of his attention to her.

"You're right." She nodded her head, grinning. "Then, I'm going to eat! I haven't yet, 'don't know why I didn't before I got here." She skipped back to the door.

"It's late."

"Thank you, I have a clock on my phone."

"Strega is out, you shouldn't be going alone in the dark."

"Then come with me."

He waited a few seconds and groaned. "Fine, but only if I pay for the meal."

She shrugged. "I'm not complaining."

Ezi followed him to the Hagakure Ramen shop at the strip mall. It was unusually crowded for a weekday night, but the atmosphere was warm and inviting.

"Sorry I brought you here," He explained, "I don't really know where else to eat."

"I like this place." She admitted. "Their noodles are off the chain!" She thought of how silly that sounded. "Or, they're really good, anyway."

"You're an odd one." He laughed lightly. Seeing the small smile on his features was what was odd.

They sat down at a small table and ordered warm noodles, both deciding they'd order different flavors.

For a moment, there was silence. Ezi almost didn't know what to say.

"…So, why the sudden change of heart?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, why'd you decide to join finally? Akihiko told me he was trying to get you to do it for a while. Didn't it have something to do with Ken?"

"Oh, yeah…" He looked down suddenly.

"Well?"

"I-It's just because, I feel like I have some responsibility to SEES. I used to be a part of it, and if a kid like Ken is willing to fight for what's right, then I guess I should too."

Ezi wanted to ask why he quit in the first place, but maybe that serious conversation was for another time.

"Watch out, 'soup's hot." He said when the ramen arrived.

She chuckled. "I noticed."

His first slurp into the food, and he cried out, "Ow!"

"Ow? What's wrong?"

He rubbed his cheek. "…I forgot I had a cut in my mouth."

"Dare I ask from what?"

"…It's 'cause Aki punched me. Sheesh, that guy's gotta learn how freakin' heavy a boxing champ punches…."

"Why on earth did he hit you? You two were fighting?"

"Well, yeah." He leaned back in his seat, scratching his head. "…I gave him a little "lecture" on how his fighting style's too reckless, and this is what I got in return."

"You make him sound so violent, like you guys are in an abusive relationship."

He chuckled. "Well, we fight all the time. Just get used to it."

At this, she glowered at him. "Please don't fight him, we have enough tension on the team as it is, with all this girl drama—oh, and don't forget the usual Shadow fighting. Those can be deadly-"

"Alright, alright, I won't fight him anymore, just stop glaring at me like that." He seemed awkward.

"Oh, sorry." She lowered her gaze to the hot bowl in front of her.

"No, it's okay, it's a good trait to have, being intimidating and all."

"You think _I'm_ intimidating?" She asked, grinning.

"Well, you have an atmosphere of power about you. Don't let that get to your head, though."

"I won't, to have pride would be a flaw in my fighting. It'd give the enemy a chance to attack while I'm boasting."

"Very true."

"But anyway, how am I intimidating, Mr. I-stalk-people-in-alleys?"

"What? I wasn't stalking you."

"Yeah, but you were always there when I'd go to feed the cat!"

"Well, I already told you not to go back there, but I saw you could handle yourself."

"Yeah…. Well, thanks, for worrying anyway." Her smile grew, and she couldn't look up at him. She thought about when he pushed her against the wall, and it was something she hadn't considered a reason to be embarrassed about until now, while he was sitting across from her.

"Well, with power or not, you should still be careful." He said. "But man, you're actually younger than him?"

"Who, Akihiko? Yeah."

"Well, it's a good thing you're a reliable leader." He said it as his eyes moved to the right, looking towards the corner ceiling of the café. He was talking to her in a way that sounded like he was mocking her, but she could sense that he was still being serious.

"Thank you. And, I'm glad you joined too. You were very helpful with the Shadow the other day."

"Well, I'll keep doing my best, that's for certain."

"By the way…" She wiggled her arms onto the table, adjusting her posture, "I'm sorry I yelled at you before in the alley, and called you a dick, and—"

"Don't worry about it. I already said its okay. Just be you."

"Yeah…" But, it was bothering her. "…Well, I didn't mean anything by what I said, about it being over… I know it's hard for everyone, but I'm just trying to make the most out of it. It's been quite the adventure since we started… Anyway, I'm sorry I upset you."

"Just, stop apologizing already. I overreacted."

From seeing his concern in the ally to his kind words now, she decided he was more caring than he led on for others to believe. She would have to remember this when he put up the tough guy front when they were with others.

"Ow!" He said again. "That reminds me, I got cut in the same place the first time he punched me too."

"When did that happen?"

"Back when we were kids. Ow." He pushed his bowl away. "This is no good, I'll have to wait until it cools down."

As their food cooled and they ate, she discussed everyone on SEES so he could be updated on everyone's Personas' abilities, strengths and weaknesses, as well some of the other big Shadows that had fought up to that point. It was hard for her to eat the noodles with a knot in her stomach, that seemed to grow slightly every time he chuckled, or they accidentally caught eyes. They finished up and returned to the dorm.

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The next day, Junpei asked Ezi to come along with him to the hospital for support, where Fuuka, Akihiko and Mitsuru resided.

"Yamagishi, do you sense anything?"

"I'm afraid not…"

Mitsuru insisted to Chidori that she inform them of something to avoid conflict, but she would not speak.

"Chidori!"

"Junpei? What's with you and this girl, man?" Akihiko had to know.

"I know she was probably just tricking me, but… I can't stop thinking about her!"

Fuuka gasped.

"Sheesh." Akihiko seemed tense. He knew Junpei was terribly in love.

"Sempai, let me talk to her." Junpei insisted.

She sighed. "I suppose desperate times calls for desperate measures."

The others stepped back as Junpei sat beside her bed. She didn't look at him as he smiled at her, like a heartbroken child.

"Hey Chidori. How are you? I'm glad they let you keep your sketchbook in here. You're drawing pictures, even in the hospital. You really like to draw, huh?"

"…It doesn't matter."

"She spoke!" Fuuka whispered.

"No one can understand my pictures."

"Chidori! Your arm!" Junpei reached out and grabbed her wrist. The bandage around it was soaked in fresh blood.

"Again? Fuuka, get a doctor!" Akihiko ordered.

"R-right away!"

"Why are you bleeding?" Junpei snapped.

"She does it to herself." Akihiko sighed, irritated. "I thought I had removed all the sharp objects in here!"

"When did she hurt herself? We were all watching…" Ezi wondered.

"She did it to herself?" Junpei sounded devastated.

Mitsuru folded her arms. "Apparently we can't leave her unattended for even one moment. But fortunately, she heals at an astounding rate…"

"Let go of me!" She yanked her arm away from Junpei.

"Then, at the station… you did that to yourself?"

"…I never asked for your help. You're the one who misunderstood." Chidori said defiantly.

"Well, I want you to stop. You can't be doing that! It's not right, and I won't let you."

She looked up at his face.

"The doctor will be here soon. You two should go now."

"…Yeah." Junpei went with his head down low, and Chidori stared at him as he left. It was going to be another day of interrogation. Ezi patted Junpei's shoulder, but they said nothing for a while as they walked back. Junpei really cared about this girl; her dear friend was in shambles over love.

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It was the next night, and they had not had a chance to go to Tartarus still. Ezi and Yukari walked Koromaru at the shrine as the sun went down, and Bunkichi was walking by when he complimented the girls, and then they went back home.

Shinjiro invited Ezi to the Wakatsu Restaurant that night. He claimed Akihiko hadn't returned from the hospital just yet, and he was hungry.

…Actually, her stomach had been growling at the dorm, so she invited herself to go along with him….and suggested the restaurant.

…It was all her idea. Yes, for some reason, she was bothering Shinjiro again.

"This place has healthy food. You like coming here?"

"Yep-yep yep! Their noodles are delicious!"

"I see." They sat down and ordered their food rather quickly, both anticipating a chicken salad with organic vegetables.

"Akihiko should eat at a place like this. Man, that guy doesn't have a balanced meal of good ingredients usually." He sighed in annoyance of the thought.

"We usually go out to the Beef Bowl Shop."

He perked up. "Usually?"

"Well, I mean, when he's asked me to go to dinner with him before."

"Heh, that's funny. Akihiko would usually wet his pants before he asked a girl to dinner."

"W-Well, we're on the same team after all. Usually we talk about battle tactics and school stuff, nothing big."

"I see. Speaking of Aki, how is his fighting?"

"Oh, it's good, I have no complaints!"

"That's good. I'm only asking you since you know more about fighting than me."

"Oh yeah, I guess so…" She thought of her faulty memory, but she didn't want to sound uncertain. "That is, I learned of combat and training in America!"

"Alright." He nodded seriously. "Sorry, I know you're the leader, so I don't mean to be so nosy. It's not that I don't approve of you, that's just how I am."

"It's alright, you're worried about him, right? Besides its good to know as much as possible of each other for fighting so we can use our strengths together."

"Yeah, Aki and Mitsuru seem much more comfortable fighting than before when I was around. Your powers, having multiple Personas, seem to be helping a lot too."

"Yes! I'll do my best!"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Don't strain yourself too much. You're gonna have to face a lot of things soon…"

"Huh? What do you mean? You mean the next big Shadow? Don't worry, I'll be fine! I never get tired as long as I'm helping you guys out."

"Yeah." He smiled. Whenever he grinned, he would turn his head up and to the side. It was a real, genuine, smirk, and it made him look…appealing, Ezi thought.

She could sense his serious feelings towards fighting and concern for the other members of the group.

"So, I heard you all went to see Chidori today, how was it?"

"Hm," He grumbled, "her Persona tried to choke her to death."

"What? Seriously? In the middle of the day, too?"

"Yeah… Strega can't control their Persona's they way you guys can. Which also reminds me… You can control all of your Personas, right?"

"Well, yeah… The thought never even occurred to me that they could turn on you…."

"Heh, weird isn't it? You get to use all of these different Personas and they're in your control, yet some people can't even control one."

"Maybe that has something to do with why they are trying to stop us," She pondered.

"Yeah, maybe. I'm just glad you're doing okay with them."

They ate their salads and meat, pointing out the food for a while instead of talking about business and Strega.

"I wonder if the others eat as good of a meal as this," He said, looking down at the organic plate of food.

"I don't think they do, our kitchen is stocked up with ramen cups. But once in a while we eat good food together. Everyone's been so busy though, it's been a while."

"Well, maybe we'll have to have them eat better food. It is important to take care of yourself."

"True! We just need someone to make awesome food for them! Maybe Fuuka can, since she's been practicing in the Cooking Club…"

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Shinjiro and Ezi talked more about the others, than finished their food, and returned to the dorm. The team decided to go to Tartarus that night, since the seniors were taking a break from interrogating Chidori.

Fuuka and Yukari had been whispering something, and then it was time to divide the team up.

"We think the seniors should go tonight!" Fuuka declared.

"Yeah. We thought about it and since you all fought before, we thought we'd give you a little appreciation by letting you all fight together." Yukari was beaming.

"That's a great idea! You can explore the new section together!" Ezi added.

"How generous of you." Mitsuru smirked.

"It sounds like you're trying to get out of work!" Akihiko teased.

"Well, I am tired." Yukari said dramatically. "Ezi could still lead if you think we're trying to get out of it."

"That's throwing me under the bus! But I'll go!"

"Energetic as always." Mitsuru wrapped her sword in its sheath. "Let's prepare to deploy."

"Senior night? I like it." Ken said. "We'll stay here in case anything happens."

"Indeed. Strega could be on edge with one of their subordinates incarcerated." Aigis said.

"Arf!"

Ezi went with Shinjiro, Akihiko, and Mitsuru. The vintage gate fell down and they were able to walk up the stairs to the next section, which was a whole new block of Tartarus.

"Whoa, you guys aren't gonna believe this!" She said. The walls and floor were painted in gold, with fat doric pillars on every corner, layered with an aligning arch shape on the shaft, and the walls and stairs were blinding with gaudy gold and bronze patterns. The Tziah block was hiding a great sorrow under all of its caked on extravagance.

"This is quite the floor." Mitsuru commented.

"Is this real gold? I hate to sound greedy, but maybe we could sell some of it." Akihiko scratched the wall. "I'm short on money lately."

"We've got bigger things to worry about." Shinjiro nodded towards the oncoming Shadows. There were floating white Writhing Tiaras, Ill-Fated Mayas with red masks, and a Blue Sigil behind them.

Mitsuru did a marvelous lung and parry at the Mayas and Tiaras. Akihiko performed many cross jabs and hooks at them and a Magical Magus that came soaring in.

Shinjiro head-butted on of the Tiaras flying in, then chopped it down with his axe. He summoned Castor to use a deadly strike on the huge, boxed in Blue sigil to cut through the box and damage it. Ezi summoned Loa, a skull with mudu dark energy, the weakness of the sigil, as Fuuka mentioned. Then the area was cleared out, and they ventured on.

On the many floors, there were larger Shadows: a tranquil doll was a skinny dark woman sitting on a triangular gliding pedestal, with a sash draped around her head, and a Constancy Relic was a like virgin Mary statue, perched with her mask on and on her stone throne, spewing lighting and darkness and them. Polydeuces, Penthesilea and Castor got to work. When the wild drive appeared, Castor trampled it and knocked it against the wall causing great calamity, and the creature spun its leg wheels like a bug on its back to no avail.

"Alright, let's kick some ass!" Shinjiro declared. The team preyed upon the fallen Shadow in a heap with their weapons, stabbing it and cutting it until it was too weak and vanished.

Shinjiro and Akihiko summoned their Personas together when another Champion Knight in black rode into the scene. The combined powers of strength from their Persona's was elegant:

Polydeuces stabbed the horse into the neck upward, and Castor used the weak point to knock the warrior down with its hoof to finish it off.

"You two seem to still work well together." Mitsuru said.

"Your swordsmanship has improved, Mitsuru." Akihiko complimented.

"Can we kiss up to each other later?" Shinjiro complained. She felt distant from them for a moment, but she was glad to see them all working well together. They went up one more floor. Everyone was getting tired when they heard a rumbling noise coming to them.

"Be careful, there are three Shadows approaching!" Fuuka warned.

"It sounds like a car…" Ezi didn't believe it until they saw the Arcane Turrets for themselves; Shadows with a yellow top that were basically just rolling tanks. Polydeuces and Castor tried physical attacks, but they bounced off the metal.

"Give me a sac; I'll scan the target!" Fuuka announced. Mitsuru and the others had to run as the tanks tried to run them over, and they spun around to get them again; She summoned Penthesilea but the ice attack could not penetrate them. One of the tanks did a reverse attack, and instead of shooting form its gun, it was absorbing energy through it; their energy. Suddenly the team felt weaker than before.

"Spirit drain!" Akihiko realized.

"Bastards." Shinjiro tried to lift the gun to his head but he couldn't.

"Its weakness is lightning!" Fuuka explained.

Ezi and Akihiko summoned Personas. He had his strike down lighting mazio on two of the yellow tops, and dispersed quickly. Ezi had Lilum, a devilish sprite woman with long violet hair, gargoyle wings and a white revealing suit on, and she used zio on the last one several times to conk it out. They all rested a moment to catch their breath.

"Good work, everyone!" Fuuka said.

"I think its safe to say we've exhausted ourselves with that last one. Unless, you guys want senior night to last a little longer?"

"We can have other senior nights." Akihiko decided. "Still, that was fun, like the times before, but with more power!"

"Don't act like a child reflecting on the past." Shinjiro chided.

They followed Ezi to a green teleport and returned home for the night.

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Everyone seemed tired the next day, but they wanted to go to Tartarus again. Class came and went very slowly, and Ezi tried to save her energy to be ready for Tartarus that night. At student council, she exhausted her critical thinking more than she would have liked, but they discussed and solved many problems and events coming up for Gekkoukan.

"We should focus on the sports club appreciation day before the Halloween festival since we have some time, but otherwise everyone follow their tasks for the next week, and we should be good! Great ideas today, everyone."

"Oh," Hidetoshi intruded, "and if anyone knows how the graffiti in the girls' bathroom came to be about the 2G teacher, report it Or, start finding suspects!"

Ezi tried not to roll her eyes when she saw others that were leaving the room do just that. She got her papers together when Hidetoshi approached.

"Nice work today, Leon-san." He said, sounding more impressed than he needed to. "Sorry about being so rough on you before, I just don't want to see you slack off, you're one of the best in the council you know."

"Oh, you're just saying that to be nice."

"I mean it, you're on top of everything, and you're the most organized."

 _I have to be organized or I wouldn't remember what the meetings were about,_ she thought.

"It's no problem, I'll just keep doing my best."

"I have no doubts. There's no success story if you don't try to succeed, at least."

He followed her all the way to the science room, where she grabbed a chart for her science project, then headed to the gates. Everywhere they had gone, eyes rolled and people were glaring at Hidetoshi.

"This is where I leave you, Leon-san. Get some rest, will you?"

"Hey Hidetoshi-san, you don't get bothered when people scoff and whisper about you in the halls?"

"Not at all, the point of their gawking is because they're bored, and to be quite honest, I like the attention. They're judging me while I'm doing the things I think are right, so at least they're seeing me do it, even if they don't understand yet."

She smiled. "That's good. I think it's better to do what you think is right rather then what others want you to do."

"Exactly why you and I are on the same page when it comes to the duties in student council." He grinned slyly. They talked a little more about the next meeting, then they parted.

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After the meeting, Ezi, Yukari and Fuuka went to the Paulownia mall, and she noticed Tanaka there at his usual stand. He gave her some advice about television ads, and he told her about a potential job at the Chargall Café; a one time deal that his show was sponsoring. She visited Theo and he warned about the two people that had become lost within Tartarus, and after the girls ate they went back home. She went with Koromaru for a walk to the shrine, and Akinari was sitting at the bench under the stars.

"Hey guy." She sat down next to him.

He was coughing, and when he calmed down, he looked up at her. "Fancy seeing you here. Sorry, I need a moment to catch my breath."

"Take your time." She leaned back and looked upwards at the sky until he finished.

"I don't usually like coming here at night, but I suppose darkness is apart of me, no matter how much I try to bath in the light."

"That's an interesting way to put day and night—sun and moon." She sighed.

"Do you ever think about it? A raging, invisible battle that no one can see, against light and darkness?"

She liked his questions.

"I suppose. Spiritually, I feel there is a presence there. It makes you wonder about all kinds of things. Impossible things."

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

"I love that book. _Alice_."

"Me too. But, it doesn't hold any resolution for me, just more nonsense."

"Maybe that's all it is. Maybe that's all we need."

They didn't speak for a while, and she wondered if her odd friend was feeling as calm and destructive as she felt in that moment.

"I suppose I can ask god soon if Wonderland can be my heaven. Nonsense really doesn't seem so bad when death is certain; at least there, nothing is certain."

What was she to say? _You'll be okay_. She was fighting monsters tied to lost memories, and keeping her friends alive and safe was her priority; she wasn't afraid of death, but that was because it wasn't as certain in the stars as it was for him.

"…I think I've been to Wonderland." She replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's Light and Darkness there, too. I guess its everywhere you look."

"If that's true, then maybe I won't write a book of nonsense." He coughed. "I'll write something about the truth."

"Okay."

Then, Koromaru began to growl. There was the sound of roller blades scraping on the concrete up near the shrine, and he darted towards it.

"Koro-chan!" She raced after him.

"Be careful!" Akinari seemed to cough more by all the excitement. She ran up to see a guy with a paint can and skateboard lift his board and begin to sprint away from the white dog.

"Control your bitch, _bitch_!" He snorted, hopping onto and over the fence. Koromaru propped his front legs up on the wall to park at him until he leapt over to the other side and scrammed.

"Good boy. Were you protecting the shrine?"

"Arf!"

She walked back to the bench, but Akinari was already gone. To make matters worse, most of the team had a lot of studying to do, so they voted going into Tartarus the next night.

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The day was fairly normal, that is until basketball practice. Ezi and Rio were the only two shooting around and doing drills with one another, and there was no sign of the other girls or the coach.

Rio was being unusually sluggish in her movement.

"What's wrong?" Ezi finally asked. She held onto the ball so Rio couldn't do anything else but talk to her.

"Nothing…" She had a lump in her throat.

"Look, I'm not any happier about the team situation than you are, but—"

"I saw Kenji in Ms. Kanou's office!" She covered her face. "They were chatting it up and flirting like crazy. I don't understand!"

"Oh," was that all.

"Why do I get so upset about it? Just because I've known him for a long time, doesn't mean I should be angry; but they are teacher and student, it'll never work out."

"Maybe it's because you like Kenji."

She uncovered her face. "I guess I do like him."

"Then your feelings are completely normal. Sempai just hasn't noticed you yet!"

"Huh?"

"It's a joke—you know how there's this cliché in manga where the girl wants the guy senior that's her sempai, but he never seems to notice her?"

She laughed. "I never noticed that before! Wow, all the shojo plots are basically the same!"

"You see my point?" She chuckled. "Anyway, don't be discouraged. Some people are just so blinded when someone else likes them, so maybe you should just tell him, huh?"

"No way! I could never do that." She shook her head aggressively. "You're insane to even have the idea!"

"I know it sounds scary, but how is he gonna know how you feel if you just don't tell him? What do you have to lose?"

"I just… d-don't know if I can. Compared to Ms. Kanou, I'm nothing…" She wept some more with Ezi comforting her, and they ended on a laughable note, talking about mangas they had read in the past relating to these ridiculous love situations.

They ended practice early, but Ezi stayed a bit longer to shoot around. She put on her headphones as she began to do dribbling skills and let her mind wander.

"Leon-san," Mitsuru approached from the double doors of the gym, but Ezi didn't hear her until she was right behind her.

"Whoa! You scared me!" She threw her headphones off quickly. "Hey, sempai, what's up-? Why are you dressed so nicely?"

Mitsuru was wearing a long purple dress. "It's for the cultural festival, I was trying on some outfits for the booths we'll be functioning in."

"Oh, right."

"I wanted to ask you about Junpei and Chidori. Did he mention anything to you before about how he had spoken to her?"

"Well, yeah. He said he met some weird girl who liked to draw, but I'm certain that's all he told me."

"Alright. I wanted to make sure…" She seemed lost in thought.

"Don't strain yourself too much, sempai."

"Same to you, Leon-san. Thank you." She swayed away in her lovely costume and Ezi's heart sank. She wasn't even trying to be beautiful. Mitsuru could be with anyone she wanted. She had known Shinjiro in the past too, hadn't she?

…Why did she think of that, suddenly? She threw the ball at the hoop and cursed herself for thinking in such a vulnerable way. It bounced off the rim and made a loud SMASH as it bounced onto the court to a halt.

"Hey you," Akihiko walked in. "I just saw Mitsuru, now you. What a coincidence."

"Hey," She grinned, "what are you doing in here?"

"I had boxing practice across the way, and I saw you here by yourself through the window doors."

"Oh, yeah, I'm just messing around, probably shouldn't be, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm always busy, it's weird when I'm not, like I should be doing something, because everyone else is working hard."

He laughed. "I don't think Junpei's worked a day in his life."

"Oh yeah… that's true! You know what? F it; I can goof off for five minutes if I like. You have the right to as well, sempai."

"Me? I don't know… like you I feel as though I need to get stronger all the time."

"Yeah, but it's important to goof off too. Trust me, you need the stress relief. You should try it! Come onnnn…"

He picked up the rolling ball and threw it to her. "You really like this sport, huh?"

"Yeah, my friends and I used to play it all the time in middle school." She grinned, thinking nostalgically. "I would always play with the guys to get better, even if my girl friends didn't want to."

"So, you're really good, huh?"

"Played all of high school back in America."

He dropped his bag and ran between her and the hoop. "Show me!"

"What? You don't know 'nothing about basketball!" She taunted. "You're about to embarrass yourself." She began dribbling the ball, regardless.

"Try me."

….She'd slinked passed him in his wobbly defense pose and made 3 lay-ups.

He was gasping for air. "Okay, that was good," they both took a moment to wipe the sweat off their brow, "One more, I can stop you, I know it!"

"Give up Sanada, go back to your punching bags!" She held her stance for a moment before dribbling to the left, passed him. He followed behind, giving up on the defensive stance. When she leapt in the air to do another lay-up, he grabbed her by the waist and swung her away from the hoop. She started laughing uncontrollably.

"What? No- cheater!"

He grabbed the ball and ran away with it.

"Foul! Traveling!" She found herself out of breath, more from laughing than from actual exercise.

"I don't know what those things are!" He said proudly as he made a brick shot. They both glanced at one another and started laughing.

"See? It's okay to goof off once in a while; everyone needs it." She insisted.

"If you say so… I'd invite you to go somewhere, but I have to catch up with the guys from the boxing team."

For an instant, she saw someone wearing maroon go by double-door windows behind him.

"Okay, no problem. I'll keep messing around here, thanks!" When he left she was back to her thoughts. She wanted to go to dinner with him again. Yeah, that could be fun. It was a different atmosphere than when she ate with her other friends.

"Missing person tonight, you guys! Missing person!" Ezi walked quickly into the dorm. "Yukari! You up for Tartarus tonight?"

"Of course!" She responded with just as much exuberance.

"Junpei? I know you miss it."

"Hell yeah I do." He grinned. "I saw Chidori today, she was doing much better."

"Good to hear, I'm rooting for you, buddy-" She winked and strolled over to the next one. "—Ken!"

"Yes, I'm ready too."

"Koro-chan?"

"Arf!"

"It seems everyone can go tonight," Fuuka said happily.

"Good! Good," she strolled over to Shinjiro, who was sitting at the bar table.

"And, you?"

"Count me in."

She smiled. "Good. Did you guys go see Chidori again?"

"I went for a moment, then I had to leave. She's doing fine, but I don't know if she'll tell us anything, even if Junpei seems to think so…"

"Yeah, he's really concerned about her."

"I can't believe he'd do that."

"Heh, do what?" They were speaking quietly now.

"That fool had to go and fall in love, what a bonehead move."

"Oh, well, I don't think its bad for Junpei, he's been more responsible than ever, taking care of her."

"Tch, it only causes problems later on," he insisted, as if he knew.

"What about you, sempai?"

"Trust me, girls are nothing but trouble." He sounded certain.

"I guess that's true," she said, grinning. "We can be very dangerous."

He looked at her then, but said nothing.

"I'm going to study before we go to Tartarus. See you there."

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In Tartarus that night, the halls were implicitly more complex than the night before. Fuuka claimed every floor they went up to have more Shadows, and the mazes were larger. Ezi was with Junpei, Yukari, Akihiko, Koromaru and Shinjiro this night, with Mitsuru, Aigis and Ken for support on the first floor, and to protect Fuuka, in case Strega showed up.

"Ugh, these gold walls," Yukari groaned. "They give me a headache!"

"Hey, I'm getting tired," Junpei admitted.

"We should split up," Ezi said. "We we won't get lost if Fuuka tells us where to go. We'll have more luck locating the missing person faster if we cover more ground."

"Good idea," Akihiko said. Yukari and Junpei were in one group, Shinjiro and Akihiko in another, and Ezi and Koromaru in the other.

"We'll meet on the next floor if any complications arrive," Ezi instructed, "good luck everyone!"

They split up at the fork in the path, treading down the dark halls of Tartarus. Ezi's mind wandered after a while when she couldn't sense or see any Shadows down her path, and suddenly the verdant design of the maze was white, and she was floating in another castle, far away from that of the Tartarus bastion.

"…What?"

It was white only for a moment, then she was back in the normal gold labyrinth. Koromaru began growling and barking at whatever was up ahead. He barked hysterically some more, then ran into the darkness ahead.

"Koro-chan, wait!" But the dog ran out of sight. Adrenaline infused with her mentality as she raced into the dimly lit hall up ahead. "Koro-chan, come back!"

The dog's barking began to fade more and more the faster she ran, until she couldn't hear it at all. She stopped her running and panted a few moments, catching her breath and analyzing the area she was in, seeing different routes all around her, but nothing else in sight, until—

The same dark, cloaked figure from Yakushima! It ran into the dark path ahead, and Ezi chased after it. She ran into a dead end, but the black cloaked person was nowhere to be found.

Her body began to quake, and she fell to her knees. Her friends were at her side before she knew it.

"Ezi! Wake up!" It was Akihiko, and his voice was as clear as day.

He and all of the others were hovered over her. "…what happened?"

"You tell us, we found you here!" Junpei said.

"What's going on?" Shinjiro demanded.

"I…" She didn't remember blacking out, but her thoughts and concerns turned to the possibility that she would no longer be able to protect all of them if they thought she'd be susceptible to blacking out again.

"…ran into a wall!" She said happily.

"Huh?" Yukari replied.  
"Y-yeah, I went after Koro-chan, turned the corner, and—BOOM! I just hit my head on the wall."

"…Okay." Shinjiro muttered. "You're okay, then?"

"Of course I am!"

"That's good to hear," Fuuka said, "Akihiko and Shinjiro-sempai found the missing person, so maybe you guys should come on back."

Ezi thought of the black hoodie. "Yes, that'd be best."

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The Wakatsu Restaurant. She went upon Shinjiro's request as the sun was setting the next day.

"This crossed my mind the last time we were here. Those guys eat on their own, right? Well… Are they doing okay?"

"You mean the others at the dorm? I guess… what do you mean by 'okay'?"

"Your body's the most important tool. Still, all those guys ever eat are instant noodles and stuff like that."

"Well, it is a cheap meal…" She pondered.

He sighed. "Well, Persona is supposedly the strength of the heart. So I guess they might be better if they eat what makes them happy, but…"

She observed him for a moment. "You're a natural worrier, huh? And so kind hearted too."

"D-don't be stupid." He seemed a little embarrassed. "I just want you guys to be healthy so you don't do dumb shit, like run into walls."

"Oh, _ha-ha_ Mr. health doctor." She wasn't amused.

"If you get the chance, let them know. Tell them to eat better. They won't listen to me, especially Aki."

"I see… You're right. I guess we'll have to find some way to make extra money though, so we can buy vegetables and meat and decent food for the dorm." She looked around, picking at her plate.

"Hey." He said seriously. "You're going to eat those vegetables, right?"

She squinted her eyes. "I'm not scared of you! I'll eat what I want…"

Under Shinjiro's harsh stare, she made sure to clean her plate. When they walked back to the dorm, they talked a little more.

"I think Ken likes you being on the team."

He hesitated. "Why do you say that?"

"He likes you training him. I tried to and I think he felt awkward because I'm a girl." She pouted her lip. "Which is disappointing, but I'm glad he's found someone to rely on."

"He's relying on the wrong person." He grumbled. As they entered the station, a punk they had seen in the alley before was coming out of the train, and he noticed them staring. Panicked, he turned and walked the other direction.

Ezi smirked with an idea.

"I should chase him."

"Stop."

"And teach him a lesson."

"No."

"Don't mess with the best!"

"Don't agitate a bee hive, please. There's more of him where that came from."

"I know!" They boarded. "It would be irresponsible of me to start fires."

"And, you could get hurt."

"Worried about me?" She asked, mockingly. He didn't respond. She sat down and he stood beside her holding the pole.

"I just thought of something funny."

"Coming from you? It's probably just weird."

"So? Humor me." She looked around, as if to ensure no one was listening in. "Pole dancing."

"…What?"

"I just read an article about it!"

"…From what kind of magazine?"

"It said there are pole dancing classes for anyone to try! It's really great for upper body strength; a fantastic workout!"

"There are other ways to workout…"

"My funny thought was you or Akihiko sempai trying it! We could buy one for the dorm!"

His face was red. "Idiot, we're not doing that."

"Come onnn."

"No!"

She snickered. "You're so easy to tease." He looked at her then, and she wondered what he was thinking, because he wasn't going to say it.

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The next day was Sunday and everyone was out on their own. Ezi went back to Naganaki shrine with her backpack, with plans of studying and relaxing on her own, but Akinari was sitting at his bench again.

"Hey there," she said excitedly.

"Hi, I didn't expect to see you again." He patted the seat beside him. "Won't you sit next to me?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"You're different from the others."

"In what way?" She dropped her bag and sat beside him.

"People don't usually come back, but you look at me like a normal person. Even my friends and family look at me different. I can see it in their eyes. Well, I don't need their pity anymore than I need their curiosity."

"Do you think people that pity… are people that are blinded by the light?" She asked suddenly. "So caught up in light, they don't know how to face the dark when it's right in front of them?"

"Hmmm, maybe so." Akinari said. "I never expected anyone to pity me. Dying isn't unusual, is it? What is there to gain in this world by staying in it so long anyway?"

"I never gave it thought…" She admitted.

"Life is like fire: it foolishly burns, unaware of how much longer it has before its extinguished."

"You may be right. People try to avoid death, because they're afraid of it, especially young people."

He smiled. "…Hey. Thanks for coming today."

"Oh, no problem. I was actually hoping to see you today, for some reason."

"Well, you seem different from the others. I'm not sure I know how to describe it exactly, but…You don't look down on me the way everyone else does…"

"Well, I don't know why that is either, to be honest."

He coughed some more and claimed he had to go back to the hospital.

"I hope we can meet again soon."

"We will. Later, Akinari!"

The meek young man sauntered with quiet steps out of the shrine. Ezi stayed and studied, listened to music, and rested at the shrine. She went and prayed for Akinari and her other friends.

The wind was still, and there was something lacking as she knelt down and clasped her hands together.

 _I wish my friends remain safe… and…_

What else?

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TO BE CONTINUED!

I liked all the parts I inserted here, so I hope you did too! Sorry its long, this is actually part 1 of ch16. Part 2 coming soon! Thanks!


	18. Date 165: Waning Gibbous-Sun and Moon

A/N: Here's part 2~Enjoy!

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Date 16: The Waning Gibbous- Sun and Moon (2)

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There was a screaming child.

Akihiko had awkwardly invited her to the Wild Duck Burger joint, and while they waited in line, Ezi listened to the screaming child and the parents dealing with him, because he wanted a new toy in his kid's meal.

"I DON'T WANT THIS ONE! AHHHH!"

Akihiko didn't seem to respond to it, but everyone else in the store did. Was he deaf?

"What are you getting, Ezi? I'll pay this time."

"How generous of you…" It was hard for her not to turn around and glare at the boy. "I'll get, just a junior this time…"

The parents seemed to handle it well, bargaining with the screaming boy. Thankfully, they ordered their meal to go and left before Ezi got a headache.

"…That was, loud." She admitted.

"What? The kid?" Akihiko asked.

"No, the screaming cows they're slaughtering in the back of the restaurant—of course the kid!"

"He just has a lot of energy." He smiled lightly, watching the family off.

"If you say so. He's just a kid."

"Then you shouldn't blame him for acting like one." He chuckled, then fell silent. Ezi was looking over at the counter to see their fries were being made in the fryer.

"Ezi…"

"Yees?" She tried to turn away from looking at the glorious food.

"Do you think I'm, strange?"

"You're charming." She said absent-mindedly.

"T-that's not what I asked!" His cheeks were pink.

She looked to him. "Well, it's true. Why do you think so many girls try to get with you? You have an innocent way about you; very driven."

His eyes shifted, and he remained blushing. "W-well, I was asking because sometimes people tell me I'm a weird guy or that I act sort of strange."

"So? Who cares what other people think."

"Right! Normally, I wouldn't let that kind of thing get to me. Back in the day they said I was like that because I didn't have any parents. It's not like I could do anything about that. So I wanted to show them that they were wrong…"  
"Because you didn't have parents?" She was a strange kid too. She recalled there was something she couldn't let go of, something the other kids made fun of her for because she believed it to be real…

"Psh… That doesn't matter now. It all happened back when I was a kid. I mean, the orphanage wasn't all bad, either."

"You were in an orphanage?"

"Oh, sorry… I don't think I ever told you. My sister and I grew up in an orphanage… My sister is long gone, too."

"Your little sister?" She said sadly.

"Yeah…Miki."

Her heart was racing. Bad memories were spurring, and she felt terrible for Akihiko too.

"That reminds me, you don't have parents either."

"Nope. They died in a car accident when I was real little. Cliché, right? Monica took care of me and my brother, Luke; our foster mother."

He raised his eyes. "You have a little brother? Back in your hometown?"

"Eh, like you're sister, he's long gone too." She was twiddling her fingers.

"Ah, sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up…" The room was still, despite all the other livelier conversations happening in the fast food joint.

"…No, wait. I think that might be why I wanted you to hear about this. I can… because I can depend on you to understand me." He smiled wryly.

She nodded and smiled too. "I haven't talked to anyone much about it since I came to the island. I guess because you're right: no one really gets it unless they've dealt with it."

"Still, I'm sorry for talking about that sort of thing. I guess I was becoming nostalgic, seeing that kid reminded me of myself younger."

"Really, sempai? I can't picture it, you acting like a cry baby- well, actually..."

"Well, I'd always have fits when I didn't get something I thought I really needed." He paused. "Miki would try to calm me down. Shinjiro, too. We all grew up there."

He was an orphan too? Maybe it explained the moodiness.

"Shinjiro is like a brother to you, huh? You guys seem pretty close."

"Yeah… I don't think I would have survived my sister's death without him."

"All you can do is live how you want, and in a way so they'd be proud of you."

"Exactly! That's why I have to keep getting stronger. I want to be able to protect the people in my life, and never feel helpless again."

"Yeah, me too." She smiled. "We have that in common. It's why I'm so determined when we're in Tartarus, I think."

They talked more about their late siblings, not in grief, but rather what they were like, and good memories they had of them as children.

After they ate, they left to go back to the dorm, and Ezi felt light hearted by their talk. She was sort of pleased to have something so personal in common with Akihiko Senada, something no one else really seemed to possess...

.

They didn't go to Tartarus, but an event did happen the next day after school.

 _"Would Saori Hatoshi and Elizabeth Leon please report to the office immediately."_

"That's weird," Saori looked up at the intercom, "I wonder what that's for?"

"You don't know?" Ezi asked. She and Saori had been organizing books in the library when they were being summoned. The two girls walked down the halls and bumped into Yukari.

"Hey, what's up with that?" She pointed to the roof, referring to the intercom.

"I don't know, but I haven't done a thing! Honest." Ezi assured her. They went into the teacher's lounge where Mr. Ekoda was waiting for them.

"Saori! You outta be ashamed of yourself. Your parents warned us about you, but now you're really doing it!"

"What?" Saori sounded horrified. "What do you mean?"

"He slammed the magazine with her body and face black marked out in front of them. "Don't lie to me! The face the is blocked, but that's clearly you!"

"Hey, she didn't do anything wrong!" Ezi intervened.

"Silence! You're here as a witness, Leon-san, nothing more! Do you admit to your accusations of the school and inappropriate language?"

"I-I—"

"It doesn't matter! You're suspended, Saori!" Mr. Ekoda sounded as if he were an official judge. Saori held Ezi back from getting into more trouble, and they went to the front of the school to go home.

"Were those stories true at all?" Ezi asked. Saori seemed like she was about to cry.

"A photographer took a picture of me, and he said it was for a community project, nothing like this," She chuckled, "look at what 4000 yen gets you."

"I'm sorry," Ezi hugged her, and Saori cried in frustration for a little while, "I'll be here when you come back."

"Ezi… thank you." They walked out of the school together.

"Mr. Ekoda is a jerk."

"Well, he's just trying to do what's best for the school."

"He didn't have to treat you like that! I know you like to see the best in people, Saori, but don't let them push you around!"

"You have a bold spirit, Ezi… I can't imagine the man that tames you. He'll be lucky indeed."

"Oh, thanks?"

"It's a compliment. I was just thinking about how if I'm caught in a scandal like this, I'll attract the wrong attention."

"Don't worry about it, Saori! I'm sure whoever you end up liking, they'll love your sweet spirit!"

"Thanks. I know we talked about this before, but I'm only interested in one guy, heh-heh." Her eyes squinted when she chuckled.

"And you won't tell me who it is!" Ezi reminded.

"Just like you don't want to tell me who you like, right?"

"Huh?"

"I don't know, I just have a feeling you like someone is all. You might be… a little ashamed of who it is, though, right?"

"Well… I don't know if I like this person or not, to be honest…" Her mind wandered to days in the back alley, or, was it to a restaurant?

"…But, I guess it could be for that reason too. He's not exactly first class material, but he's really sweet."

"If you like him, that's all that matters." Saori insisted.

The girls walked far enough until they went their separate ways for the night. Ezi returned to the dorm, thinking of their conversation.

She also thought about the hooded figure in the mystical Tartarus. How could this thing be related to her? It was ominous and dangerous, and she was…

"Ezi…what's up?"

For some reason, she was approaching Shinjiro again that night at the dorm. "You wanna get some food?"

"Well, I don't mind." He muttered. "Come on, let's—"

They both caught a whiff of an unpleasant smell. "What the hell? Fuuka!" Shinjiro walked into the kitchen, and Ezi followed. They saw Fuuka pulling a hot, steaming pot from the stove.

"Sorry, does it smell?"

"You're making that? Did you put roux in it?" He asked quickly.

"Oh, no… I just thought I'd try to make it from scratch, with flour!" She said proudly.

"Don't get cocky after you just burned it," he scolded.

"Oh, right! Sorry." She straightened up.

"Do you have the ingredients still?"

"Oh, yes. I bought extra, just in case."

"Okay…" He turned to Ezi. "Do you mind if we eat this for dinner tonight?"

She grinned widely. "Yes! That'd be delicious!"

"Don't get so excited." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Ezi-chan, weren't you going out with Shinjiro-sempai?" Fuuka appeared most distressed, and Ezi didn't know how to answer.

"Hey, let's get started." He ordered her.

Ezi scrolled on texts on her phone, wrote in her itinerary and waited at the dinner table while she watched Fuuka and Shinjiro attempt to cook. It was amazing how much he knew about the recipe. There was one point he said that there was so much wrong here he didn't know where to begin, but he instructed Fuuka every step of the way. After about a half an hour, it was all done, and the food they placed on the table before looked like a straight photo-shopped cookbook delight!

"Thanks for the food! I can't believe it, it looks so good…" She was practically drooling. "I didn't know you were a born Martha Stewart!"

"Y-yeah." Shinjiro sounded embarrassed.

"Fuuka, forget me, Shinjiro should be your new teacher as a chef!" She took a huge bite, and the two cooks seemed to be waiting for her response.

"….This food. I feel so lucky." Her eyes could have been sparkling, she was so dazzled by the robust, rich taste.

"Y-You're just exaggerating…" He seemed more introverted than usual, scratching the side of his head and looking away as she ate.

"You're amazing, sempai!" Fuuka complimented.

"I mean, anyone can do something like-"

"No, they can't!" She exclaimed.

Fuuka continued to ask him about cooking tips as they ate, and afterwards, she insisted on doing the cleaning up herself, so Ezi and Shinjiro left her to the kitchen after she pushed them out.

"She made me promise her to teach her more again later. Sheesh."

"Yes! You should make that meal for everyone!" Ezi gasped. "Let's have a party!"

"A party, here? That's pushing it."

"But, you're the one who's always worried about what everyone is eating." Ezi pouted.

"…Well, you got a point." He made that side grin that caused her to flush. "Maybe it'll be okay to do once in a while…"

Ezi felt she understood him more; not only was he a concerned giant, but an adorable cook-

-adorable?

"Well, we'll talk about it some other time. I'm gonna go check up on Fuuka-"

A loud CRASH emerged from the kitchen.

"….too late."

.

.

.

.

To be continued!

A/N: This part was shorter, but I still liked it and I hope you did too! Block 4 may be the longest block... because Shinjiro, and there's so much room for mayhem in this part with him there and the others included! So I'm bringing detail to this block and adding a lot of parts of my own for the female protagonist to bond more over the boys in her life :3 Anyway, Date 17 will be up soon! R&R!

 _Farewell, My Dearest~_


	19. Date 17: Waning Crescent—Raining

**Date 17: Waning Crescent— It's Raining Somewhere Else (1)**

The Dark Hour.

Ezi sensed a familiar presence in her room and awoke.

"Hi… it's been a while." Pharos said, standing at the foot of her bed.

"Yo! What's up?"

"It has been three seasons since we met. Time goes by so quickly, and so much has changed… Yet, so much stays the same. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah…" Ezi said thoughtfully. "Everything could change. I could wake up tomorrow and forget everything for all I know." Her grip tightened on her sheets.

"Hmmmm… If you say so, perhaps you're right. After all, talking with you has stirred up certain memories."

"What do you mean?"

"That tower, for instance… I've been thinking about it lately. I wonder, will our friendship stay the same..?"

"Huh?"

Pharos looked down at the carpet, brows furrowed. "…Or will it evolve? No matter what the future holds, you and I will be friends. That is for certain."

"Okay, sounds good. Even if you are some creepy ghost kid." She chuckled.

He smiled sadly for some reason. "I'll come again. Until then, good night… my dearest."

He vanished, and she slept soundly after the encounter, his voice and many others humming something in her dreams.

.

That morning, Junpei approached, at long last.

"Sup Ezi?"

"Dude! How have you been?"

"I'm sorry I haven't been around as much. But you know, I can't just leave her alone. Don't ask me why…"

"Well, good luck! Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, thanks." He smiled. They went to class together and embraced the mediocre day. Her thoughts were on everything mysterious happening, from Pharos' connection to the tower, to the Velvet Room. Her mind was cleared when she encountered the dying man, so she went to the shrine in hopes of seeing him there. He had a notebook and red pen in hand, smiling as he sat on the bench.

"Hello again." He said calmly, she sat down.

"I'm sorry if all my coughing before upset you. I was writing a book before you showed up, and I didn't notice how chilly it was becoming."

It was fall. A new season, as Pharos had mentioned.

"Do you like books?"

"I love them! I haven't had as much time to embrace them, though."

"That's something you and I have in common." He seemed pleased. "I read a lot of books these days. They're the easiest ways I can embrace these final days; I can be lost in a book's private world."

"Yeah, they can be quite creative and mind blowing." She tried to think of some books she had read before, but they were lost.

"Do you read books to the end?"

"Eh, not if they're boring… I'm too busy for those."

"I don't either. Except, I really get into a book, but I don't want to finish it early. If I finish it, I'll be stuck there, alone in my room. Alone as me. Akinari: the person who can't escape his fate."

"It sounds so hopeless…" She wondered if that was okay to say, but his expression didn't change.

"Stories about hope and heroism are the books I cling to."

She thought about SEES—they were heroes, in a way. Protecting the meek light from the Shadows of darkness.

"Does it help? Reading those stories?"

"Absolutely. I have a connection to it, somehow."

 _More than you know, buddy…_

"Time is ruthless." He said. "It looks like the sun is already setting. I don't want to be here at night again. I hope we have another chance to talk."

When she got back to the dorm, only Ken and Shinjiro were in the kitchen as the sky turned dark.

Ken was sitting at the table, his stubby legs kicking the air as he waited for something. Shinjiro was sizzling something on the stove.

"Oh, hello Ezi-san."

"Kenny!" She said jokingly. "What are you guys up to?"

"Oh… we were just training… Now Aragaki-san is making a meal for us."

"How nice!"

"Sit." Shiinjiro said from the kitchen. "There's some for you too."

"You planned some for me? You better not be giving me your share!"

"I'm not."

"Do you need any help, Mr. cook?"

"No."

She sat down across from Ken. They spoke about their days until Shinjiro plopped plates and chopsticks and the main course of chicken and fried veggies in the middle. He sat between them on the other end.

"Yes! I don't deserve this food."

"Just eat." He grumbled. Ken quickly reached the main course and scarfed down the red and green on his own plate. He realized his fault and swallowed it all down to speak.

"Thank you… this is delicious. I haven't had a meal like this since…" He poked at the vegetables as he ate some more.

Ezi felt like she may have stepped in when they were having a moment.

"So, how's school?"

"It's okay. Unnecessarily busy I suppose." Ken said.

"And you?"

Shinjiro blinked. "I don't know."

"…When's the last time you went? Back when you were Ken's age?" Ken snorted a small chuckle at this. "Stay in school kid. You don't want to look like a druggie in a heavy coat."

"Excuse me?"

"Thank you for the meal, sempai!" They ate some more quietly, and she didn't much like the silence. "What TV shows do you like, Ken-kun?"

He perked up and began speaking of action series. "I enjoy most of the crime shows. Well, there's this one show called Retroman."

"Like the manga?"

"Yeah! It has one of the best heroes—he's physically fit and always helping his friends without a sweat! The characters are dynamic and—"

He noticed both of them staring, and he looked down and to the side. "I mean, it's okay. W-what TV shows do you like, Ezi-san?"

"I like dramas! Action too, but mainly dramas."

"Huh, so its true… I guess girls do like those kinds of things."

"Hey! Don't judge me." She looked down at his plate.

"Are you gonna eat those?" Shinjiro spoke before she could. He had left the red bell-peppers on his nearly empty plate.

"Ah! Um," He stammered, "I don't really like them. Sorry, sempai."

"Honestly." Shinjiro chided. "You should be more bold in your actions. It will follow you in your fighting as well."

"Y-yeah." Ken nodded, sternly. "Thank you!"

Ezi finished her plate and she let them sit at the table together. He was some sort of mentor to the lonely child, and she could appreciate it.

When she reached her room, her phone rang.

"Theo?"

"Good evening. I wanted to inform you of some business in Tartarus."

"Eh?"

"There is at least one person that has gone missing in there tonight—apparently, this person is an acquaintance of yours."

"What? Theo, who is it?"

"I wasn't certain at first… but I'm afraid its that girl—"

"Girl?"

"The one we met at the shrine."

Maiko.

"Theo… she's not there because of me, is she?"

"Of course not." Relief. "However, she did hear the voice last night and it lured her in."

"Damn, we have to go tonight!"

"Precisely. Be careful on your travels." Theo hung up.

When everyone returned to the dorm, she insisted they all go to Tartarus that night. Junpei, Ken, Yukari, Shinjiro and Akihiko went with her. They went up a few floors, battling the Shadows of Tziah and its golden walls, until sensed something.

"This floor has few enemies, but…" She gasped. "There's someone on this floor! Please, find them!"

Ezi knew she could rely on Fuuka to find Maiko. They had to fight a tranquil doll and killer drive, but the girl was hard to find in the Labyrinth.

"This floor is pretty big." Junpei realized. "Man, I'm getting tired."

"It's one of those big floors." Yukari said. "I haven't even noticed a staircase yet."

"We should find the portal soon, we've been on this floor too long." Akihiko warned.

"Oh, right, the Reaper…" Shinjiro mumbled.

"What's that?" Ken asked.

"You don't wanna know, kid." Junpei admitted. "It's this creepy giant Shadow that comes after your soul when you've been in here too long! Our leader fought it one time!"

"I just ran, Junpei." She wasn't really listening, looking around for Maiko.

"But you kept it away from an old man! I commend you." Junpei saluted.

"I sense the human! They're close! Head straight a head and to the left, hurry!"

Despite everyone yelling at her to wait, she bolted faster than anyone to swipe away the Ill-fated Maya before it prey upon the girl in the corner of the dead end. She was hunched over, wearing her day clothes and backpack, whimpering.

"Maiko…"

"Ezi, are you okay?" Akihiko spoke for everyone as they joined her again.

She was rubbing Maiko's back. "Yeah, sorry. She's okay, thank goodness…"

Chains were rattling on the floor.

Ezi froze. It couldn't be…

"Be careful! I sense death!" Fuuka cried.

"Now, she tells us." Junpei sighed.

"How? We haven't been here that long, have we?" Ezi tried pulling the weak girl up. Akihiko quickly scooped Maiko into his arms.

"Could it be because we were talking about it?"

"Everyone, hurry!" Akihiko ordered. They all ran in one direction, not really knowing where they were headed.

"I located the portal! It's close by!" Fuuka declared. "What?"

"What is it, Fuuka?" Ezi demanded.

"You all need to head to the stairs! Abort going towards the portal!" Mitsuru was on the amplifier, now.

"You heard her, turn around, everyone!" Ezi waited for everyone to stop and turn and run in the other direction. Down the hall they would have walked through, the Reaper came soaring from a golden pillar and began floating towards them.

"It's right behind us! Run!" Ezi realized that everyone wouldn't be able to reach the end of the hallway and turn before it was in the same hall with them. She turned and faced it, and as she had predicted, it shot its barrel at them the moment it was in the same area. It was simple enough to deflect it with her weapon, but the impact caused her to go flying. She hit the wall and she screamed, but somebody had grabbed her arm and pulled her back up.

"Go!" Shinjiro was leading her into the other hall, and they sprinted to catch up with the others. They ran into familiar hallways until they were at the stairs. Immediately, Akihiko lead them back down to the next floor, where they would be safe.

"Shinji, Ezi, hurry!" He waited for them as the others scrambled down.

The chains were getting louder. Ezi barely ran, she was being yanked so easily by Shinjiro, he practically tossed her onto the staircase and the three of them rolled down the stairs before the Reaper could see them again.

The three tumbled into a pile on the floor with the unconscious girl. Ezi had hit her head, and realized she was sitting on top of Shinjiro, and he had a bloodied nose.

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

"Get off!" He sat up, and she slid off and stood up, embarrassed. "Idiot! Why would you try to fend off the Reaper? You could have been killed, acting so reckless!"

"What? You're the one who's bleeding! I had it under control!"

"You can't fight that thing. Just be lucky I grabbed you before it got to you."

"What? There you go again! I had it handled, until you butted in!"

"Uh, guys?" Yukari tried to intrude. "We're all safe now, that's all that matters."

"Y-yeah." Ken added. The two were still glaring at each other, brows furrowed. "Uh, w-weird that thing showed up when we…"

"Shh!" Akihiko said. "It might show up again! And—will you two stop looking at each other like that?"

Ezi turned away first. "Hmph! I had it handled."

"You're welcome." Shinjiro grunted.

"Uhhh, let's find the portal on this floor, yeah? I don't want IT to show up again!" Junpei announced.

The team walked in exhausted silence down the empty halls to the green portal, where they returned to the first floor. Ezi was happy to hear Mitsuru say she would take care of Maiko and return her back home, then they did the same.

.

The next morning, her shoulder was sore from her collision with the wall. Mitsuru walked into the building with her.

"Leon-san. How are you feeling?"

"Good!" Aigis was scanning her with her light blue eyes from behind.

"Your core temperature is normal, and you only have minor muscle swelling."

"My little CAT scanner. Thank you." Ezi teased, but Aigis did not understand the joke.

"You gave us all quite a worry." Mitsuru continued.

"Really?"

"I know you tend to shrug off your own issues for the greater good, like saving that girl. We were all in a rush last night, but you did well."

"T-thank you." It was longest conversation she had had with Kirijo in a while.

In class, Mr. Takenozuka asked Junpei a question about the Egyptian, Greek term.

"What is the name for a religious, philosophical, and esoteric tradition based primarily upon writings attributed to Hermes-Trismegistus?"

"Shoot…" He whispered. "Ezi, help me out here?"

"Again? Hermetica."

"Mr. Iori?" The physics teacher waited patiently.

"H-Hermetica, sir!"

"Well, very nice work."

At lunchtime, she went out into the hallway. Hidetoshi asked her to come to a council meeting, and Akihiko was in the junior hallway again. He wasn't as spaced out as before, and he was looking for something until he met with her eyes.

"Ezi…"

"Akihiko." He looked transfixed, and nervous.

"D-do you have plans after school?"

"I have a council meeting. Why?"

"Well, I can train while I wait for you. I uh, have something to tell you. Come see me after school when you're free."

"Okay, is everything okay?"

"Well, just… I'll see you later."

He brushed by her. Akihiko was acting strange. She decided she would go to him after the meeting and ask him about it later. The council meeting was mainly about the upcoming festival that week.

Junpei and Aigis walked out with her to the gates of the school.

"I'm usually more excited about the festival; I've been so worried about Chidori I didn't even notice, though."

"Yeah." Ezi was so preoccupied with other things she hadn't noticed it herself. Shinjiro, for example—

"Oh! I forgot about Akihiko!"

"Huh?"

"He wanted to talk to me. I have to head back in."

"Did he now?" Junpei smirked. "A possible confession from one of the most popular boy in school! How romantic."

"Yeah, right." She sneered. "I'll see you guys later."

Akihiko brought her to the Hagakure Ramen Shop this time, but he seemed oddly quiet.

"How are you?" She asked. It seemed like a simple question, but he wiggled around and tried to position himself in his bar seat comfortably so he was facing her.

"F-fine! How are you? Physically, I mean?"

She frowned. "I'm alright. What's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" He seemed conflicted. "Well, that's not entirely true."

"I know. Tell me." The anticipation was ruining her nerves. Suddenly what Junpei had said earlier was stuck on her mind and she was becoming anxious.

"It's just that… when I watch you fight… I get, I don't know… I feel… angry."

"What? What am I doing wrong?"

"Oh, no! I didn't mean it that way." He scratched his head, obviously troubled. 'It's not much that I get angry, but I get irritated."

"That's no better!"

"No, that's not it, either. I guess… I get nervous."

She frowned. "You don't trust me as leader? I seem unreliable to you or something?" Now, she was getting irritated. "If this is about last night…"

"No… You're really doing a great job." He sounded kind, but he fell silent.

She shook her head and looked into her ramen bowl. She couldn't eat.

"Akihiko…"

"Is…" He sighed. "Is there anyway… that you can avoid having to fight?"

She spun her head towards him. "You think I'm doing a great job, but you want me to avoid fighting?"

"Oh… Never mind, sorry. Forget what I just said."

"What on earth..?"

"I mean, you're trying the hardest out of all of us. I shouldn't have said that to you." He sighed.

"What's the matter?"

"…Sorry. I'm confused myself… What am I saying?" He sighed again, seeming completely stumped.

"Sempai?"

He kept his eyes closed for a moment, until he could look at her again. "Deep down, I know I don't want you to be fighting. It's just that, I'm worried about you." Akihiko avoided her face as he turned it towards the ground.

"Oh…"

"Come on, eat up!" He demanded, slurping in a lot of hot noodles. "Ouch!"

"Oh, okay." They finished their bowls without another word. She was hungry but her stomach was too upset to finish it off as she normally would.

"…Sempai, please don't worry about me. I know I upset you and everyone last night. Mitsuru already told me. I freak out about you guys on a daily basis, it's not a great feeling. So please…"

"I can't help it."

"I know, but, I'd rather if you tried not to. I have enough people saying their worried about me and my actions as it is." She thought about Shinjiro, and how angry he was with her every time she put herself in danger. "I don't think I can take it, you worrying."

"I can't… I-it's not like I can just shut my feelings off."

"I know… Do you, worry about the others like this?"

"I want to protect them, but, it's different with you…"

"How so?" She pressed.

He couldn't look at her still.

"…. Never mind, you don't have to tell me." Maybe Junpei was some sort of prophet.

"I'm sorry…" He said. "I have to run an errand at the mall. Are you okay heading back on your own?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"Okay good. I-I'll see you later." He put his yen on the table for the meals and stood up.

"Wait! Akihiko?"

"Yeah?"

"…Uh, thanks for sharing your concerns. I tend to have a certain joy when I fight, but if I could avoid the danger, I would too, for everyone's sake."

"Yeah, me too."

"I guess we have that in common as well." She chuckled, weakly. "Well, see you."

"Yeah, later."

She wondered why it was so difficult for him to tell her that. Anyone else may have just said it, but there was more to it for him obviously. She walked back thinking about it more than needed as she went to the dorm.

.

.

.

.

.

After school she went with Fuuka to the cooking club. She hadn't eaten sweets in a while, and those were the only ingredients they had to make. She baked sugar cookies after a while, since there were not enough supplies for pancakes.

"Done!" Fuuka announced after the cookies were baked. Ezi could smell the aroma of an edible rice ball. It was coated in some type of teriyaki flavor, and it was…

"Delicious!" Ezi declared. "Fuuka, you are no longer my apprentice."

"Really? I-I'm glad you like it! It's such a joy to make something you work hard on, but also when others can enjoy it to."

"I agree, it's great, Fuuka. So, Shinjiro's been helping you out, huh?"

"I may have burned the rice if he hadn't helped me with some pointers," she admitted. "He seems like a stern teacher, but he really is nice, don't you think?"

"Yeah, he's alright," Ezi grinned at the thought of him. "Well, you did great!"

"Thanks, I'll try even harder next time!"

The girls both walked into the dorm before the moon came out, and everyone was doing their usual relaxing and studying in the lounge. Ezi didn't see Shinjiro, which bothered her, so she decided to grab a snack from the kitchen and go upstairs to study. But, Shinjiro greeted her in the kitchen.

"Ezi… what's up?" He asked, with more energy than usual.

"Nothing, really." She turned to face him, changing her plans in a moment. "About last night… sorry. Thanks for helping me out."

"Idiot. You should be more careful."

"I just didn't want anyone to get shot…" She said quietly. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Actually, I have a place I want to go to…Do you wanna come along?"

"I'd love to go."

"Great, let's get moving."

They walked until they reached the familiar café in the Paulownia Mall.

"Oh, the Chagall Café?" Ezi said as they walked in.

"Uh… what do you want?" He asked as they sat down.

"Hmmm, some tea would be good!"

"Tch, tea's always been a girly drink."

"So not true! Tea is good for your bowels!"

"…Alright." He ordered for both of them.

"But really, how is it 'girly'?"

"I don't know, maybe it's just how they prepare it here, too flowery and pink."

"That doesn't mean it's just for girls! The tea can't help it if it's got herbs from plants in it!"

"What? The tea doesn't have feelings…really, must you be weird about everything?"

"You're the one who said tea was girly… You know what? Fine. It is a girly drink, that's why you can't handle it!"

"Whatever-" Then, he began a fit of coughing, which ceased the fighting. She waited in worry for him to stop. She thought about Akinari.

"Hey, are you okay?"

He caught his breath. "Yeah, it's just something that happens sometimes. Don't worry, it's not contagious."

"Still, it sounds really bad," She furrowed her brows in concern.

"Uh, d-don't worry about it. I've had it for a long time, that's why I don't usually come to places like this that often."

"Does the café make you cough, like the smells? And why did you come here today, then?"

"…I needed to buy something here." He said, turning his head away. "Ground coffee. I'll buy it on the way out."

"So you'll drink coffee, but not tea, eh?" She teased.

"It's for cooking…" There was a slight flush in his cheeks.

Ezi chuckled at how unnecessarily embarrassed he was.

"Hey, you're the one who brought it up. You said stuff about treating the guys at the dorm…" He scratched the side of his head, under his hat.

She grinned. He was so flustered. It was adorable.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"I-Is that so," He said, still flustered, "we'll do it once I decide on what I'm gonna serve…"

"Okay, I'm sure it'll be delicious. You did teach even Fuuka how to cook, after all."

"…Even if it tastes awful, you better be responsible and tell everyone it's great."

She blew out a long breath. "I don't know, a leader I shouldn't be lying to everyone…"

He laughed. "Be quiet."

They talked more about the food, particularly, all kinds of different entrees he could make. Even though she insisted she would help, he insisted he'd make it for her and on his own. Ezi demanded at least a list so she could get at least some of the food for him, so he wouldn't be broke after buying all of the ingredients himself. Then, they talked about the others at the dorm, what their favorite foods were, and what they could do to help them eat better. They talked about a lot of things.

"…It's 10." He said.

"What?"

"It's already 10."

"No way, we haven't been sitting here for hours, have we?"

"I guess we have," he stood up. "Okay, we'd better go, they'll worry if you're out too late."

"Well, they'll worry about you too," she said, "I think they're getting quite fond of you. Fuuka knows your rough attitude is just your way of being helpful towards others, she told me today."

"What? T-that's ridiculous."

"I'm off to the restroom, then we can go." Ezi skipped towards the café's restroom, and the manager pulled her aside when she was in the hallway.

"Eek! Oh, hey there! How's business going?"

"It's fine—great—Are you dating that tall dark and handsome guy in the jacket over there?"

"Oh, good to see you again too… and no, we're not together. H-he's just someone who lives in the dorm with me."

"Really, because he seems fond of you…"

"R-really?"

"See?" She slapped her shoulder. "You do like him! I could tell by how you two were talking."

"I…" She didn't know what to say. "I guess… I may have stronger concern for him lately."

"You guys make a cute couple! Hey, if you guys come in as a couple next time. I'll give you a discount!"

"Heh, thanks..."

After the restroom break, they left and walked back to the dorm.

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The next day she walked to school with Yukari, but then her friend left her at the gates to take some archery club activities.

"Hey, Ezi! Good morning!"

"Oh, morning," she yawned back. Akihiko seemed to be doing his daily jog to the class when they met at the gate. He was more than chipper, seeming to be back to his old self.

"You seem tired, were you up late?"

"Oh, I went out, yeah."

"Well, you should be careful, Strega is still out there, you know."

"It's okay, I was with Shinjiro!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, we went and got ingredients for food…"

"Oh… w-well, that's good! I've never had his cooking but I heard it's legendary." He said. "Um, so anyway, don't you just wish the Shadows would all come at once, instead of us having to deal with one every month?"

"Heh, wouldn't that make it harder..?"

"That's true. Well, gotta go, bye!" He ran off before she could ask if they could just talk on the way to class. What was the hurry? After school, Ezi went with Yukari to the Chargall Café.

"I have to come here to rent out the maid outfit for the festival…" She grumbled. They sat down after they ordered.

"Sorry girl… I tried to vouch for you at the student council meeting."

"I know. It's punishment for not being in a committee."

"Well, maid outfits can be cute!"

"Then maybe YOU should be wearing it instead of me!"

"Here you go! Two pink lemon tea refreshers!" The manager gave them their order. "Sorry Ezi, this one's not on the house! Although you and Yukari would make an interesting couple too… Well, maybe I can picture Yukari with someone more serious!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"This again?" Ezi smiled.

"That hunk Ezi was with! I said I'd give them a discount if they became a couple, but you're not him. Sorry! Oh, and I'll give you the outfit when you guys leave!"

"Oh, thank you. I'll pay for it then, too." The manager left and Yukari stared at Ezi as she sipped her tea.

"…Hunk?"

"Ah, Shinjiro, I suppose…" She swallowed too much tea, and burned her throat.

"Sempai?"

"Yeah… It's not what she thinks. I was helping him get ingredients."

"Oh! Well, if you say so…"

They went back to the dorm, and Junpei spotted the maid outfit and began harassing Yukari about it as they went upstairs. Ezi tried to follow them up, but Koromaru was whining.

"He says, I must go for a walk." Aigis confirmed.

She groaned. "Okay, boy."

"I'll go with you." Shinjiro said, abruptly. "I need some fresh air."

She was secretly happy they were walking together. The nights were becoming chilly. When they reached the shrine, Koromaru barked and hopped around happily around them.

"Quit prancing around like that… You like it's the first time I've walked you."

"Arf!"

"He likes it when more than one of us goes with him! All that company for the good boy!" She scratched his head and ears.

"Arf!"

"We should walk him more together." She decided.

"You should be hanging more with your other friends, not me." He said seriously. "But, I hear it helps older dogs quite a bit. I don't like those clouds." He looked to the reddish dark sky. "A storm is coming in."

"Really? It's only rained like one time since I've been here, I think."

"Well, what happens, happens…" They spoke quietly until Koromaru was done playing, then they walked back.

"Hey." Shinjiro said sternly. "What do you think… would be a good meal for everyone?"

"Huh?"

"I don't really know what they like, the others. I don't know if they're allergic to anything, or if they hate specific foods I should avoid."

"The party!" She exclaimed.

"Not so loud, this is a shrine."

"Sempai! You can make whatever you want! I'm sure they'll be grateful! But if you're worried, I can ask everyone what they'd prefer and let you know!"

"D-don't go through so much trouble for something so petty."

She pouted her lip. "It's not petty! I used to think that way too, but…"

"But?" He pressed.

"But I came here, and I wanted to start fresh. I've always been sort of weird, but I wasn't always trying to be so optimistic. I like it, but before I thought little of everything around me, like school and friends."

"I can't imagine you were ever like that." He admitted.

"Hey, anything's possible! Anyway, I will help out anyway I can!"

"Like I said, don't worry about it so much."

They walked in silence, comfortably, it seemed.

"You're not allowed to take Koromaru for walks anymore." She said suddenly.

"Why not?"

"…Without me! If you go by yourself you'll be in trouble!"

"What are you gonna do? Punish me?" He paused. "…That came out wrong."

"I will punish you! You won't get to cook me food!"

"How is that a punishment?"

"Because, you want to make it, right?"

"Says you."

"You dooo."

"How about tomorrow night?"

"Yeah! That sounds good." She grinned.

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She thought about their talk the next morning. She told Yukari and Junpei when she could to stay at the dorm that night for a surprise, and she texted the others. She went to her basketball practice with Rio, then she went to the mall before going home. First, she stopped by to check Theo's requests.

"Good afternoon! It's been a while…" He said.

"Shall we evaluate your Persona's?" Igor asked.

"I'm okay. I just wanted to give Theo some things…"

"The fruit knife!" He said, excitedly. "Now I can make my fruit platter!"

"…Right. Well, if there's nothing else?"

"Oh, I needed to give you a reward for bringing me this and the shell of a man from your school's science lab. Here you are. Camouflage armor!"

He threw a plastic bag at her, that seemed rather light for protective material. She opened the bag to see some yellow straps and pads and a bra and… panties?

"What the hell is this?" She tried to ask nicely.

"They are called battle panties. Many women over the millennia have used them in combat."

"Where was the war? The bedroom? I don't need this!"

"It is not what you think."

"Right, perv."

He pouted his lip like a puppy. "I am not a -!" He cleared his throat. "I admit they are rather scandalous in design, however I can assure you they are of great value! They have the magical ability to cloak you from a certain enemy, reflecting light from your attire onto an enemies so they can't spot you."

"They won't spot my private parts, anyway."

"Trust me."

"Gee, why not? I'll take three if you think they're so useful."

He handed her two more bags rather quickly. The other battle panties were in different colors… She decided not to argue about it anymore and she took the supplies out of the Velvet Room.

With all the new "useful" equipment, she went to the pharmacy also, deciding to buy more medicine and bandages with what little money she had left. She was having a decent conversation with the old clerk about something when she spotted a machine behind his desk.

"Is that what I think it is?" She pointed to it.

He loomed over to look. "Yeah, it's a karaoke machine."

"No way!"

"Part of it is broken, though, which is why its back here."

"Pretty please can I get it for a discount, since its wrecked? I have a friend who can probably fix it!"

He shrugged. "If you say so."

She hopped and skipped back with a rather excited energy to the dorm with her new purchases.

"Lookie what I got!" She plopped the machine in front of the TV.

"Karoke? Do I look like I can sing?" Junpei complained.

"We can practice singin'!" She declared. She saw Shinjiro approaching, and everyone went to their own business upstairs.

"Let's do it tonight." He said.

"Um…do what?"

"The dinner, of course? Weirdo, w-what did you think I was..? Never mind."

"Heh, what are you making?"

"Dinner."

"No shit, Sherlock." She was amused by his sarcasm.

"You better not go anywhere, all right? Just be patient and wait about an hour…. Tell the other guys that, too."

Ezi announced to everyone in the dorm they were having dinner at the lounge. When she came back, Fuuka was helping him in the kitchen, which struck her as a bit odd. She waited awkwardly at the table for a while, playing with her phone, and listening to Fuuka apologize and stammer constantly as she struggled through the kitchen.

"Should I help?" Ezi asked finally, rushing into the kitchen faster than she would have liked.

"Nah, it's crowded in here as it is." Shinjiro said. "Besides, we want to keep it secret." He laughed. "Trying."

Secret? "Oh, okay…"

"S-sorry, Ezi-chan, if I were better at cooking…"

"Hey. Pay attention," Shinjiro turned her attention back to the stove, twirling her around with his hand.

She thought about how the intimidating Shinjiro was probably just opening up to everyone, not just her, which was a good thing. It meant, maybe all of this time she was spending with him, he was doing the same with others, simply because he's trying to be friendly with everyone.

Including her.

Perhaps the connection was just friendship and kindness to him. Which, seemed to disappoint her.

Fuuka clumsily knocked something over, and it made a loud, glass shattering noise that seemed to resonate around the dorm, because everyone came flocking from upstairs, then.

"What's going on?" Junpei asked.

"Something smells good." Yukari said.

"Fuuka's making dinner." Ezi announced.

"…."

Koromaru whimpered.

"He said he is not hungry." Aigis translated.

"Oh come on, guys! Give her a chance," Ezi watched Akihiko as he made a B line into the kitchen, "Shinji is helping her out! I'm sure it'll be great."

"What? Big tough guy can cook?" Junpei was shocked. Ken and Mitsuru came downstairs as well.

"Well, it does smell delicious…" Yukari echoed.

Shinjiro pushed Akihiko out of the kitchen. "…Don't lecture me! There's obviously enough servings here."

"What?" Akihiko sounded amazed. "You mean..?"

"There's enough for everyone." Ezi answered. "So, who's hungry?"

"Me! Me!" Akihiko exclaimed.

"Heck yeah, I'm down." Junpei said, straightening his hat.

"Me as well!" Yukari declared. They all sounded like children, asking questions as if they'd never had a good meal in their lives before, and Shinjiro was constantly telling them to shut up as the two of them cooked.

Two hours later, there was a display on the dining room table like no other. There were plates and cups of all kinds of color and sizes, the food spread varied from fresh garlic and basil tomato pasta to sweet and sour pork, to chicken, paella, to a large golden omelet with fried rice and steamed vegetables.

"Damn! Is all of this food for us?" Junpei said. Everyone was flabbergasted at the sight of it.

"Everyone, take a seat." Shinjiro ordered. Fuuka grabbed Ken and Mitsuru from their rooms, and when everyone was present, they dug in.

"Oh man! I'm in heaven," Yukari admitted.

"Man, this is a like a portal to a delicious dimension!" Junpei scarfed his food down like an animal.

"What does that even mean?" Mitsuru had to question.

"This is great… thanks you guys." Akihiko said, trying not to stuff his face as well. He started coughing.

"Fuuka, you and Aragaki-san did an excellent job." Mitsuru commended.

"Here's some water, sempai." Fuuka handed it to Akihiko. "Oh, Ken, aren't you going to eat?"

"I'll eat something… Yeah, thank you." Ken said quietly, towards Shinjiro.

"No problem." He replied.

When they weren't stuffing their faces, they were talking about their week, their clubs after school, their frustrations and highlights that made their days, the tests they had coming up, all of it. It took them only 20 minutes to eat, but a good hour and half to continue talking to one another at the table, then cleaning up their dishes and putting the small amount of leftovers away. Everyone retired to bed with so much bliss, constantly thanking them again for the food.

"You did good today, Fuuka," Shinjiro said to her. Ezi could hear them talking in the lounge from the kitchen. They had been cleaning while they cooked, so the mess was easy to clean up afterwards. Ezi was the last one to retire to bed, and Shinjiro walked into the kitchen.

"You can go to bed too," She said quietly, "I'm making a _girly_ drink, so…"

"I'll have some." He said. They dried off the last of the dishes, then sat in the empty lounge with their warm, ginger spiced tea.

He laughed quietly. "Everyone seemed to enjoy the food."

"Yeah, you and Fuuka did a great job! Couple of natural culinary artists…I had a lot of fun, too. It's nice to take a break and be with everyone other than just to do our duty as Persona users, especially with good food."

"Well, if you hadn't come up with the idea, I probably, I never would've done it."

Her eyes lit up. "Um… wasn't it Fuuka, though? I mean, you guys did work on it together…"

"What do you mean?" He chuckled some more. "No, it was you… you just insisted I do it, and I finally did it. It was so simple, and all I had to do was do it…"

"Well, yeah, sometimes it's just that simple…" Had she given him the courage to do it?

"You know, I like cooking for other people. I let Fuuka help me, and it was quite the experience, but usually I prefer cooking on my own."

She smiled. "Well, that was very kind of you to let her help you, then."

"It was alright… I'm just glad everyone liked the food…Thanks."

"I didn't do anything." She laughed.

His face become more sober, alert, disheartened. "You did more than you know." Before she could ask what he meant, he began coughing, disturbing the quiet they were in. "Today tired me out." He stood up from the couch quickly. "I'm heading to bed, you should do the same….Night."

She was surprised at how quickly he ran off, but she tried not to let it bother her. She finished her tea and went off to bed.

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Ezi was walking back to the dorm from the strip mall when she spotted Ken coming from the station. He had been rather quiet lately, and he had concerning grimace on his features as he walked in her direction.

"Ken-kun!"

He hadn't noticed her. "Oh, Ezi-san…"

"Let's go grab a bite, huh?"

"I couldn't."

"You still have to eat sometime!" They went to the Wakatsu Restaurant again. Ezi only got an appetizer this time since they were cheaper, and Ken ordered his usual with a carton of milk.

"…I guess I've just been busy with school lately." He was having a conversation with her.

"I heard that! I always have some club or meeting to go to after school; then there's the actual studying for classes, as well as balancing time for the Dark Hour. I know how you feel!"

"…Yeah." He switched gears as they ate quietly. "The rice is dry now. I guess if they made it in the afternoon earlier, it would taste like this now."

She snickered. "Picky, aren't you? Well, I guess we could come here earlier next time!"

"Next time?"

"Sure."

He looked to the side. "I was thinking… You should be hanging with friends your age, not taking me to dinner and spending time with someone like me."

"Have a little confidence. You're saying I don't have time for all of you? Don't be silly! I think Shinjiro is rubbing off on you."

"Oh, well, I don't think that's it. He hasn't been training me much lately."

"What happened?"

Ken fell silent. "N-nothing. H-hey, I think there's something you can put in the rice to make it taste good."

"Is that so?" They talked about rice, then some manga they both liked to read; Ken found it fascinating an "adult woman" read manga at all, but even so he was embarrassed to admit he liked it, turning pale. They geeked out about some of the Retroman comics, and then they returned to the dorm.

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The next day was cloudy, and students were in an uproar during class, most weren't even at school that day. Class finished, but traffic and the roads were crazy as people hurried to their homes and safe havens to get out of the typhoon. Ezi had been busy in the morning at the lounge, so she hadn't even thought of bringing a jacket or something to school. Now, she was returning to the dorm on a dark afternoon, her clothes soaked, and freezing.

"Ahh, you got caught in the storm, huh?" Junpei speculated her as she walked into the lounge.

"I was a little worried, but I'm glad you're here now." Yukari said.

"Thanks, it's freaken' freezing in here, just so you know." She said.

"Well, you gotta be quick! Anyway, at least the festival is closed, thank goodness. I did not feel like doing that café stand." Junpei admitted.

"Me too, looks like no maid outfit for me!"

"So, what are you guys planning to do for the break?"

"Break?" Ezi repeated.

"Oh that's right, you used to live in a desert. School will be cancelled until the typhoon blows over, you know."

"Oh, well then, I don't have any plans yet."

"Lame; come on! You guys only live once." He chided.

"That goes for you too, Stupei!" Yukari chided. "Besides, I have a hunch on what you're doing, so don't act so cheeky!"

"Well, yeah. I don't mean to brag but… Chidori WANTS me to visit her, which is exactly what I'll be doing this entire break!"

"Good for you," Ezi snickered. "Really, if Chidori gets around to feeling better, I'm sure it will because of you, Junpei."

"I think so too!" He said proudly.

"Well, I don't have many plans," Yukari admitted, "since the archery is outside, I won't be able to practice."

"Yeah, this weather is messing up my training schedule, big time." Akihiko complained as he emerged from the kitchen.

"What about you, Ken-kun?" Ezi asked. "What are your plans?"

"I'll probably visit the shrine a few times."

"Seriously? You're not an old man, live it up, kiddo!" Junpei replied.

"I need to go there, you could say I made a vow…" He said quietly, but everyone heard, "Anyway, I'll do other things too, like maybe go see a movie with my classmates."

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Yukari exclaimed.

"I could go with Natsuki-chan." Fuuka planned.

"You're not gonna do that, Yuka-tan? Why don't you go see a movie with that Mikato guy from fencing?" Junpei teased.

"Shut-up! What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know… you two just seem close in school. Everyone's talking about how the new blue-haired kid has swept up the popular girl from class 2F."

"As if! We're not together, I-I'm just showing him the ropes!"

"Suuuure you are," Junpei wasn't done messing around just yet, "And what about you, Ezi-chan? When you gonna hook up with one of the many bachelors at school interested in you?"

"When they produce a brain." She answered.

"Good one, Ezi!" Yukari laughed.

"I do not understand what you mean," Aigis intruded, "how can you standby for a process such as this when all humans at your school already possess a functioning brain?"

"It's… a joke, Aigis." Ezi was almost ashamed she did not understand.

"Seriously? No one you're interested in at school? Come onnnn…" Junpei nudged her. "I bet that there's somebody in sports you're at least attracted to." The room seemed quiet, and for a moment Ezi wondered if Junpei wasn't the only one interested in knowing.

"Junpei, I'm far too busy to be gawking at pretty boys all day. Anyway, I should go upstairs…"

"Oh dear! Ezi-chan!" Fuuka appeared from the kitchen. "You don't look like you're feeling very well!"

"Yes….It's all the wet… around…" She waved her hand across her torso, "…here, on my body, but I'm fine...Achoo!"

"Still, you should rest, Leon-san." Mitsuru ordered. "We won't be going to go to Tartarus tonight anyway in all of this rain, so get yourself warmed up and rest tonight."

"Alright guys… thanks."

"You'll see, Ezi-chan!" Junpei warned. "Soon I'll find out who you really like!"

"Just focus on your own love with Chidori, idiot!" She called back. She hurried up the stairs, which was a mistake, because she was even more exhausted when she reached her room, but for some reason she had wanted to avoid the conversation.

She assumed it was bad Shinjiro was the first guy that popped into her head when Junpei asked so loudly in front of him and everyone else. She thought of Akihiko too, the first person Junpei had teased her about.

She took off her wet clothes, deciding she was too lazy to take a shower, and went to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

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TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: Yeahhh! Thanks for the reviews guys :) I like this fictional love triangle stufffff. Anyway more conflict to come! R&R!

 _Farewell, my dearest~_


	20. Date 175: Waning Crescent- Raining2

**Date 17: Waning Crescent— It's Raining Somewhere Else (2)**

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The Velvet Room; a lovely place to dream about. Ezi half expected to see Pharos in the room with Theo and Igor, but it was just them. Theo played the role of the Igor's servant very casually, as he waited by his chair and Igor began to speak.

"Good evening. I last summoned you in your dreams quite some time ago. Several seasons have come and gone since I first offered my assistance. Now then, your special power: Persona; have you been using it wisely?"

"Well, I'd like to think I am."

"Good. Then, I shall assist you further on your quest. I will now fuse four or more Persona to create a new, stronger one when you need it."

"Wow, thank you!"

"Now then, you must be tired. Until we meet again."

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She awoke as if the dream had never happened.

For one day, Ezi did nothing. She stayed in her bed, listened to music, and watched her favorite action movies while she drank orange juice and rested in her bed.

The girls, Fuuka, Yukari and Aigis, were constantly bothering her to make sure she was okay, when they weren't out running their own errands. She felt spoiled, asking Aigis to bring her refills and food whenever she could, but it helped her to rest, and she felt a little better the next day.

She took a shower, got dressed in her casual creamy orange blouse and short white khakis, and went into the lounge. She drank orange juice and ate toast before deciding she should go to the Velvet Room at Paulownia Mall. She wanted to try the new ability Igor had offered her in her dream.

"….What are you doing?" Shinjiro was standing in the kitchen doorway, blocking her way.

"Um, standing in a kitchen..?" She munched on the last bit of her toast. "Whyyy?"

"Aigis!" He called out suddenly.

The robot walked in. "How might I assist you?"

"…Check her temperature."

"Understood."

"Wha-? Aigis, stay away from me-ow!" She flicked Ezi's forehead and began staring at the finger she used to inflict her with.

"Scanning…" She said. "…Temperature is 38.3 degrees Celsius, 100 degrees Fahrenheit."

Ezi shrugged. "Okay, so only a few points from the norm…"

"You still have a fever, you can't go out. Besides, it might rain hard again today."

"But-!"

"Thank you, Aigis. That'll be all."

"Do you wish for Ezi to stay indoors..? I could assist with constructing a quarantine safe zone…"

"N-no, it's alright, I'll make sure she rests."

"You'll make sure-?" Ezi boomed, "Look here, I'm fine, I need to go out and I don't need to rest anymore! I'm done resting!"

"Well, your body says otherwise, idiot. You're going back upstairs to rest, end of story."

She didn't know what to say—she really wanted and needed to go to the Velvet Room, to see what Theo created in the fusion room for her…But she couldn't explain that to him.

"Shinjiro, please… I just need to go out for a tiny bit. Really I feel okay."

"What do you need? I can get it for you."

"Huh?"

"You said you need something, what is it?"

"Well, actually I'm meeting someone. But, it's very sweet of you to want to help-"

"Look, you're the leader, so are you gonna really jeopardize your health when we need your strength for the Dark Hour?"

"What?"

"I get it, you can be tough, but consider this: if you get worse, someone else will have to take your place."

"Well, I guess you are right…"

"I am right. You're a damn good leader. It wouldn't be good for someone else to take your place when they need you. Don't get selfish and act tough when you're not really in the best shape right now."

"You're so rude…" She said quietly, and sighed. "But you're right…"

He nodded his head, folding his arms.

"…if I weren't feeling in the best shape like you claim, that is."

He seemed to glower, his face terribly ominous. "Quit being stubborn!"

"You quit being stubborn! I already told you, I'm fine, before you started treating me like a-choo!"

He groaned. "You're such an idiot. I'll take care of you."

"You just secretly like taking care of bed-bound people, stalker."

"I'm serious! I won't push you anymore, but you still look sick and you have a high fever…"

Ezi's eyes softened. He was genuinely concerned for her. "Okay… I'll rest."

"Really?"

She nodded her head. "Really."

"G-good." He sounded nervous again. "I'll make you something good to eat."

"What is it?"

"Just rest, it's a surprise."

"Okay, can I rest in the lounge while I wait?"

"Sure."

She sneezed a few times, looked at her phone, seeing Theo texted her about another missing person in Tartarus. It was funny, she showed him texting so he wouldn't have to call every time, and every time he'd put on the text "This is Theodore", which was unnecessary since he was in her contacts. A strong, chicken aroma emerged from the kitchen, and her stomach began to growl. Apparently, toast hadn't been enough.

Shinjiro brought her vegetable soup made from scratch, with chicken broth and cream and pepper, and freshly chopped celery, carrots, water chestnuts and noodles.

"Dig in,"

"This looks so good." She took a few bites, even before it cooled down. Shinjiro sat beside her and they talked about the other night, and how they could prepare another night of delicious food for everyone.

"Thank you, sempai! This was so good. I feel much better."

"Great, but you're still not going out."

"Darn, I tried." She patted his shoulder before standing up. "Well, I still appreciate it. I know I have to be careful, I just needed to get some things done too…but it can wait."

"Exactly,"  
"So, is there something you like to eat that I could make for you? I guess it's silly to cook for a cook, but…"

"Why would you need to cook for me?"

"I owe you for the kick-ass soup! Come on, there's gotta be something I can do for you."

He didn't answer right away, then he smiled.

"You can rest for me and get better. Mitsuru is planning on going to Tartarus tomorrow, so get ready for that."

"Booooring," She snickered. "Okay, I can do that. But I am going to get you something, it'll be better odds of something you actually like if you tell me…" She began creeping back up the stairs.

"Idiot, don't worry about it. Just get better."

"I'mmmm worrying about it!" She said in sing-song tone. She jumped up the rest of the way. "Thank you so much, sempai!"

Shinjiro kept his head down and put his hands in his pocket.

"…Idiot, causing more problems for me than I need."

.

She slept for the rest of the day, and recovered over night. The next day she went and took Theo's request to get some oil, as well as fuse four Persona's to make a stronger one. She went to the Club Escapade as it opened that afternoon, hoping to see the monk for some advice… but another man was in his spot. He looked about in his 30s, with scruffy black hair and stubble on his chin. He was hunched over in a casual capris jacket and pink shirt with slacks, wearing tired eyes as they scanned the room.

"Excuse me? Have you seen an old man around?"

"The monk? No, not today." He drank his beer. "Oh, you're a bit young to be here. Ah youth."

"You don't look that old."

"No? I feel old… Well, if dreams aren't dangerous, the real world certainly can be. Be careful in places like this, kid."

"Thanks for the concern." She left the man, seeing Tanaka at his stand by the antique store.

"How's it going?"

He looked irritated. "Just some business deals gone sour. You know, when I think about the whole grand scheme of things, I think of the cucumber."

"…Okay…"

"Hear me out! There are two kinds of cucumber in a store; there's the small, dirty looking one, but it is naturally grown; we'll call it organic. Then, there's the big, juicy green, fresh looking one that's been pumped with chemicals. Which one do you think the customer would buy?"

"The big one, I guess?"

"Yeah. That's just the way things are." He sighed, letting the metaphor sink in. "Well, this deal with Chargall Café is similar. We want to sell our brand of tea there during the special, but they won't agree to it without some cute waitresses serving it. They don't think the product itself is enough, even though it's a good product."

"Oh, is that why you're bummed? That does sound like something the manager would push. Surely you can get some super models—"

"It doesn't work that way! Look, I'll pay you, or anyone else you have join if you can get some cute friends in some maid outfits for me!"

"Like I'm gonna fall for your tricks again!"

"I mean it this time, kid!"

"If I do this… I want another contract. BUT, I get to keep a copy of it, so I can sue your ass if you won't pay up!"

"Fine, whatever! It seems I've taught you too well… I'll keep in touch with you this week about it."

.

She and her friends went to Tartarus that night.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better." Mitsuru said as they prepared. The team seemed fairly energized, zipping through the golden halls, fighting their own Shadows that they encountered. Ken was spinning on his spear, jumping on and off Shadows that surrounded him, then used Nemesis to paralyze them with light magic. Junpei swung around and used Hermes to kick the Shadows down, and Yukari shot her arrows. Mitsuru and Akihiko stood back to back, wistfully lunging and punching the birds and tiaras that came their way.

Aigis and Koromaru sliced and shot down the ones in their path as they charged and ran. Shinjiro and Ezi hammered down with his axe and her Naganata and vanquished the remaining Shadows. They exhausted themselves searching the one hall for the missing person, who they returned to the first floor, and left for the night before the Reaper could find them.

.

The next day she felt a little tired, but she didn't want to rest in bed all day like before. She wanted to talk to Shinjiro, for no reason whatsoever. He was sitting behind the lounge counter, looking out the window.

"Ezi-san!" Fuuka was sitting with her laptop on the couch. "There's a film festival today. I guess the last film festival was such a hit they had to have another one. It may be packed, though."

"Oh, did you want to go?"

"I'm going to a later showing with Natsuki-chan, but I thought I'd tell you if you wanted to go with someone else."

"Cool! Thanks for the info. By the way, I bought that-" She pointed at the Karaoke machine in front of the TV. "-Do you think you could try to fix it, when you have the time?"

"Oh, of course!"

She approached Shinjiro. "Sempai."

"Hey. You did well last night."

"So did you. Wanna go to the film festival?"

"…Huh? Film Festival. I totally forgot they had those… Not that I've ever been to one."

"Gees, what do you do for fun?"

"Well, wouldn't you have more fun with one of your girl friends?"

"Can you just admit you're happy I invited you?" She teased.

"…Let's go, then."

.

The theater was packed and crowded because of the marathons happening. There was an Incredible Pet Stories series.

"Napoleon, Homeward Bound? My Dog Skip?" Shinjiro was looking at some of the titles. "Are we… really going to watch this?"

"Would you prefer the… Erotica series? Those are the only other ones."

"…Well, if this is what you really want, I guess I'm game, too."

"Coo."

They watched the dog and animal surviving with all of their might to return back to their loving homes.

They walked back out quietly out of the theater.

"What'd you think of it?"

"That river…It Just… washed that dog away…" His eyes seemed a bit red.

 _No way._

"I… I want to go feed Koromaru." He decided. "I… gotta go get him some more good food."

"I'll go with—"

"No." He sniffed. "I have other errands to run too. Boring stuff."

 _Maybe like buying some Kleenex?_

"Thanks for coming with! I'll see you later."

She thought about how emotional Shinjiro had become as she walked back to the dorm. Ikutsuki-san was there, talking to Mitsuru.

"Oh, Ezi-san, I heard you were sick. I would have asked earlier but I figured you were "sick" of people asking while you were sick…"

"Well, I'm sick of your jokes!"

"Oh, I didn't think you'd be so direct…" He frowned, looking like he was about to cry.

She waved her hands up. "Oh, no-no. I was trying to be punny back and it failed. I'm sorry, you can keep saying your bad jokes!"

.

Everyone rested that night before going back to school. The afternoon classes were cancelled so students could clean up different sections of the school after the typhoon had hit. Ms. Toriumi assigned Ezi with Yukari, Junpei and Aigis to clean in the science room for the culture festival they never got to have.

"It's a shame the phot club took all these photos and no one got to see them." Yukari and Ezi were taking them down while Junpei and Aigis put them in boxes. "Oh, here's the one from that fellowship your basketball team did!"

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun!"

"I'm jealous! I hear they have a hot spring there too."

"We'll likely have one like that for our Kyoto trip. That place is kind of lame, though." Explained Junpei.

"That's not until November! Jumping ahead much?"

"I can't wait to go on that trip!" Kazushi and Kenji came in with cleaning supplies. "Yukari, want me to give you a tour there?"

"As if." She snapped.

"Ezi? What about you? I could show you a good time."

"Can you not?"

"Great! This will go by faster." Junpei declared.

"Wait, you did bring the bubble wrap for the frames, didn't you?" Kenji asked Junpei.

"Uh… Good idea, buddy. You should go get that."

"But, we just got here. You should have to go get it since you forgot it."

"But, there are babes there that would be totally into you!"

"What? No way I'll be right back—as if. What kind of supply closet has hot babes in it?"

"…We are going to be here all day if you guys just keep talking!" Yukari yelled.

"She's like an angry samurai." Junpei muttered to the boys.

"I heard that, stupid!"

"More like, Stupei." Kenji teased.

"Why do you all hate me?"

The boys started working with what they had to clear up the area.

"Man, I'm kind of sad though that the festival was cancelled. They had things like cross-dressing pageants they were gonna do!" Kenji whined. "I wanted to be in the show!"

"What on earth? No way." Junpei sounded disgusted.

Kenji smirked evilly at him. "You were picturing it, weren't you? I bet I looked cute."

"W-where do you get your tenacity from?" Junpei moved away from him.

"Junpei, you can't be so straight that you haven't thought about it." Ezi joked. "Don't be a bro."

"Yeah! But you know, I'd look way cuter than you." Kenji concluded. "You'd just look creepy with your goatee."

"Seriously?" Junpei sighed. "I don't think you needed to go that far…." He smirked too. "At least I'd look cuter than Kaz!"

"You hear that, buddy? Are you gonna take that from him?"

"What? There's no doubt that I'd be the cutest!"

"This is getting good." Ezi chuckled.

"Don't be weird." Yukari slapped her arm gently.

"I'd be the cutest one in school!" Kazushi continued.

"I will not lose either at dressing up as a girl." Aigis spoke for the first time they had been in the room.

"Well, duh." Kenji replied.

"I am a female type, so female clothes would be—"

"Okay, let's stop there!" Junpei intervened.

"Ezi-san, who do you think would have a cross-dressing that is "super cute"?"

"Really, Aigis?" Yukari said.

"MINE!"

"Oh, now you're getting on this too?" Junpei snickered.

"I'd be one hell of a butler!" Ezi proclaimed.

"Well, there's no question that she'd be "super cute"." Kenji nodded with certainty.

"Thanks!"

"You guys are holding everything up!" Yukari roared.

"You know, based on looks, Yuka-tan is already cute." Junpei observed.

"What does that mean?" She growled.

"He is implying that your outward appearance is cute, however your personality is not cute." Aigis stated.

"Oh man! Aigis tryin' to start fights!" Ezi chuckled.

"Ai-chan… you gotta know when to speak up and when to stay quiet." Junpei sounded worried, but Yukari just shook her head in frustration and did not reply.

They finished up, with a few more laughs and awkward conversations. Kenji was a flirt, but he and Kaz were both fun.

When they got back to the dorm, Ken was sitting with his homework at the dinning table.

"I'm starved!" Ezi ran to the fridge. "Are you hungry, Ken? Want some leftovers?"

"Uh, y-you don't have to…"

"I insist!" She heated up the pork and rice for both of them to eat.

She took her things out to study as well. Halfway through, she realized Ken wasn't eating. He looked nervous.

"Dude, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" He started eating quickly. "I just, was thinking… I wish I wasn't so small."

"Size doesn't matter…" She realized how awful that sounded, but she hoped he didn't notice.

"I just want to be more helpful, and strong, like Akihiko-san."

"Oh, I see. You admire him?"

"Y-yeah... I mean, you prefer someone like him too, right?"

"For fighting? I don't know, you're both reliable."

He glanced at her for a moment. "I mean… don't you like him?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know… I just thought, a girl would like someone like him."

"Its gonna be hard, but don't try comparing yourself to others. It just makes things more difficult."

"Okay… still, I want to get stronger."

"We all do." She took another bite.

"Ezi-san! Don't eat anymore!"

"Why? Is the food poisoned?"

"No… its just, I won't be able to catch up with if you get taller and stronger too!"

She laughed. "Did you not hear a word I just said?" They finished eating, and she was about to head upstairs, but Junpei, Fuuka and Aigis were stalking down the stairs behind Shinjiro.

"…Yeah! And with a different sauce, too!" Junpei patted his arm.

"I would love to try that sometime too, Aragaki-san." Fuuka added.

"Koro-chan would like some more too." Aigis said.

"Arf!" The dog followed behind them wagging his tail.

"Okay, okay…" He was irritated.

"Cool, we'll be waiting, sempai!" They went in separate directions through the lounge.

"Shinjiro—"

"Hey, can we just go outside for a moment? I feel uncomfortable." He said to her.

"Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah. Let's just hurry." They went outside and stood on the porch and stairs in front of the dorm.

"Sheesh," he grumbled when the front door was closed. "They keep yapping at me."

"Everyone in the dorm?"

"Yeah… Akihiko keeps throwing requests, Junpei keeps begging me to make food, Fuuka shoves cookbooks into my face… Every time I go into the kitchen, they all look at me, waiting for me to cook something…"

"I have my hopes up, too." She admitted.

"D-don't look at me like that!" He said, relaxing. "I mean, I guess I'm glad you guys liked it."

"It was, really nice of you…" She pondered.

"You think it's not like me to do that, right? Well, it's okay to have some good memories I suppose…" He said thoughtfully. "It's good to make memories. We have two kids in the dorm after all: one big one, and one little one. How about you? Did you have fun, too?"

"Oh, yes! Thanks to you."

"All I did was cook, the others are the reason you had fun." He insisted.

"I have fun with them, but I have fun with you too. Don't be so sheepish! I know you have your dark side, but that doesn't we don't enjoy your company!"

He said nothing for a moment, and suddenly Ezi was trapped by his stare as he looked at her seriously. She was on the bottom of the stairs, and he was standing on them, making him even taller than he already was.

"You know, you…" He said, and turned away from her again.

"I, what…? Shinjiro-sempai?" She wanted him to be honest, she wanted to know him even more.

"Shouldn't you be doing something else?"

"Huh?"

"You shouldn't be with me like this. Don't you have more fun things to do?"

"I have fun being with you." She admitted. "…Um, am I bothering you?"

"No! No, that's alright… I don't mind…" He said. She could see his cheeks were flushed pink, and that made her happy. This guy that was always so demanding and ominous had a soft spot, particularly, for her being around him.

"Heh, okay then, that's good."

"Then… do you want to go get some ice cream?"

Her eyes widened. "I haven't had it in so long…"

"So is that a n-"

"YES! I will go purchase ice-cream with you."

"We can go to the convenience store, my treat."

"I mean, if you insist; can't turn down ice-cream…" They began walking down the street, "Do they have chocolate and peanut butter ice cream there?"

"Um, I don't know… I usually get mint chocolate chip if I ever bother to get it…"

"Oh, so that's sempai's favorite!"

"Don't be weird, idiot."

The store was near the station, and they went in and got their favorite scoops. They sat on the bench and ate from their cones.

"This spot isn't so bad when there aren't punks around…" She decided.

"Eat your ice cream." He ordered.

"I should have got a napkin!" She licked all around the cone to stop the melting chocolate. "Sempai… can I try your mint?"

"You know what this tastes like."

"I know! But… I haven't had it in a while. Pretty please?"

He looked at her pursing her lips together with wide eyes like a puppy.

"Idiot… you're getting chocolate on your uniform." He wiped the ice cream from her jacket, and she gasped. "S-sorry!"

He had rubbed her breast on accident. "It's okay… I didn't mind…"

He looked at her for a moment, but she froze. No… she wanted this, but she was too scared all of a sudden?

"Um… l-lemme try some, please!" She pressed. He raised his cone to her face, and watched her lick the green ice gently, melting it onto her twisting, pink tongue.

His face was red. "Hurry up and finish yours before it melts all over you."

"I bet you'd like that."

"D-don't say stuff like that!"

She giggled. "Sorry. Teasing you again, sempai."

They finished their cones quietly, then went back to the dorm.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The next day was busy at school. A lot of trivia questions from the weekend reading, and she had to go to student council. Then, she got a call from someone.

"Hello? Hey—Today? I don't know… Wait, how much to do the waitressing? Each!?"

She scoured the halls, finding Fuuka and Yukari at their clubs. They walked out of the school together as she explained that she had been contacted by Tanaka about a small job for lots of money.

"No way! I'm not dressing in that maid outfit! I escaped it the first time!"

"W-what if people see us?" Fuuka said.

"That's the point… look, I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't beneficial. We've all been short on money, and you spent money to rent that maid outfit out! Now, you're not even gonna put it on?"

When Ezi showed them the contract, and how much they'd be getting paid, they decided to give it a try….

A few moments later, the three girls were dressed in tight lacing and black maid outfits, with a white French maid hat and apron around the long dress part.

"You look great, girls!" The manager introduced them to the rest of the staff, and they were trained a few minutes to take orders, and to promote the Tanaka Show new tea brand.

"Okay, girls, let's get serving!" They took their pens and notepads and headed to the guests around the tables.

It started off fairly easy for Ezi—she almost forgot she was in a maid suit, thinking of being a good server to the customers. Yukari was doing okay too, but she groaned and tried not to roll her eyes when guys made comments about her outfit. Fuuka was stammering the whole way, and tried to serve only girls to avoid any conflict.

It would only be work for a few hours, then they could go home.

They saw a few students from school they didn't recognize, who seemed to notice Yukari at least. Then, someone familiar walked in.

"Oh man." Junpei's face was red. "I'm in café heaven!"

"Junpei? You never come here!" Yukari snapped. She had just finished serving some annoying dudes.

"I-I got a text from some guys I know at school. You guys are gonna bring a flock to this place!"

"Have a seat, or leave!" Snapped Yukari. The manager strolled by in a hurry, grinning to herself as she was walking around, waiting on the busy tables.

"I will gladly sit." Junpei snickered.

"What would Chidori think?" Ezi warned, scurrying by his table.

"Its just eye candy… I'm not cheating or anything!"

Another half hour went by, and the girls sweat and danced around with their trays, as rush hour began. The café was crawling with men.

"I-I'm having a panic attack!" Fuuka was panting behind the counter.

"Calm down, we're almost done!" Ezi assured her. "You have much more courage then you used to, so use it now! What are these guys gonna do in a public place?"

"You-hoo, crew! Over here!" Junpei was waving his hands up and looking towards the entrance. Akihiko and Shinjiro were there, and suddenly Ezi wanted to panic too. She ducked behind the counter for a moment, squeezing her tray.

"Junpei, that jerk!" She thought about the night before with Shinjiro. He was either gonna scold her for wearing the dress, or tell her she looked stupid in it.

"Our friends are here! I guess I feel a little better…" Fuuka stepped out, and Ezi followed her, grabbing the coffee for one of the customers.

"Here you go, sir."

"Thanks, cutie!" The man sipped his coffee, and Ezi strolled over to Junpei's table as calmly as she could.

"Hello, welcome to the Chargall Café! What can I get you?"

"Y-you seem to have this down." Akihiko complimented. "We're not here to judge, Junpei let us know you were here, so we came to support."

"Wow, thanks, you two!" Fuuka was genuinely happy.

"Right… support…" She squinted at them.

"I-it's true!" Akihiko insisted. "I mean, as a guy, I think you girls look great, b-but don't take that the wrong way!"

Shinjiro sat back with his arms folded, but said nothing.

"Um, okay. We gotta get back to work!"

"Wait! I'll order something…" She took Akihiko's order, and they continued working on, leaving the three boys to themselves at the table.

"Okay, guys! Level with me, which one of 'em looks the cutest in these outfits?"

"Really, Junpei?" Akihiko carped. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"No way! But, it is just us right now, come on; I need some guy talk! Its hard to have it when we live in a dorm with a bunch of girls!"

"Hmph, that's your excuse?" Shinjiro spoke, finally.

"Well, yeah! Man, I bet Aigis and Mitsuru would look better than all of them! Aigis is a totally hot robot, and Mitsuru is a babe! Too bad she's always busy."

"You really think those two would be cuter?" Akihiko challenged.

"Ohhh, I think I know who you like the most, sempai! Same one you liked in the swim suit, eh?"

"Swim suit?" Shinjiro echoed.

"J-Just be quiet, Junpei!" Akihiko's face was red.

"I'm right, aren't I? Oh man, you two should just hook up already!"

"T-there's no way we could! Don't even joke about it."

"My bad, sempai. It's just, you both are single, it wouldn't be bad, and you two would be the talk of the town!"

"Don't push the idea on Aki." Shinjiro said. "Anyone who would date him would basically have to babysit him."

"Hey, I resent that! I'm not some fussy kid anymore, you know!"

"Still, girls are trouble."

Junpei looked to Shinjiro. "Um, w-what about you, sempai?"

"Me?"

"Yeah! Which one do you think is cutest? The outgoing and overly confident Yukari, the shy and timid but intelligent Fuuka, or our talented leader, Ezi?"

"Hmph, like I'm gonna answer your stupid question."

"Pretty Pleeeeasseee? Here, I'll answer first! I think the cutest of all of them would be Chidori, but out of the three here, I'd have to say probably Fuuka!"

"Really?" Akihiko replied.

"Hell yeah! She's like the nervous maid who wants to make sure she does a good job!"

Akihiko sighed. "You really are a pervert."

"Hey, at least I can admit my flaws! You guys can be gentlemen and still admit you look at cute girls once and a while!"

"T-that is true." Akihiko seemed perplexed. Shinjiro rolled his eyes. His gaze stopped at Ezi as she was putting down a few drinks in front of the old couple from the Bookworm's store. She was smiling sweetly to them and talking to them about something with excited hand gestures and kind giggle.

 _"Ahem."_

Shinjiro turned back to the table. He thought it was Junpei, but Akihiko had been the one to grab his attention.

"Uh, w-what are you looking at, Shinji?"

He felt like he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Just looking around, that's all."

Junpei was usually quick to lighten the mood, but considering what he knew, he kept quiet.

"…Oh, okay!" Akihiko sounded cheerier. "So, are you guys gonna get anything to eat?"

The girls remained busy throughout the café.

Yukari was grumbling something fierce as she threw her dirty apron down in the back to get a new one.

"Hey, you okay?" Ezi was waiting for some tea to brew.

"No! Some creep slapped my behind after I got his order!"

"What?" The manager overheard and demanded more information. She stomped over to the corner of the café, where a man with his feet up on the table was sitting. He looked a bit older than a high-school student, and he had a black jacket on with muddy shoes, a long thin face, and oily blonde hair slicked to the side.

"…I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave!" The manager was pointing to the door as she spoke to the irritated man.

"I didn't touch that bitch! Even if I did, they're wearing that shit to get that kind of attention!"

The café seemed to quiet down for a moment as they watched the conflict.

"Leave, now." The man stood up and leaned into the manager's face. Ezi was over there in a second, and she stood beside her.

"Leave her alone!" She snapped.

He looked up and down at Ezi, smirking. "Feisty maid, aren't you? You're a high school student who lives in the dorms, right?"

"Get out, or I'll call to the police station, which is right next door." The manager snapped.

"The cops, eh?" His smirk faded as another figure approached. Shinjiro stood on the other side of the manager.

"Is there a problem, m'am?" He asked.

She folded her arms. "Hopefully not."

With the three of them standing up to him, and the rest of the room staring, he scoffed and walked passed them.

"You must feel so tough, ganging up on one guy." He said, then he went out of the café.

The manager sighed with relief. "Thank you. I usually have to deal with creeps like that myself. My adorable couple to save the day!"

"What now?" Shinjiro was confused.

"Oh, nothing! Ezi, get him a drink, on the house!"

"You okay, Ezi-san?" Akihiko was behind them. "Sorry, I didn't notice what was going on until…"

"We good!" She said, cheerily. "But, Yukari might not be…" She went to the back again. Yukari was taking deep breaths.

"You don't have to do it anymore if you don't want to… I'm sorry I pressured you."

"It's not your fault, Ezi." She looked as if she were about to cry. "Why… Why do guys have to be that way? I can't seem to get a break. It's like this always happens, and I don't like any of the attention from those pigs!"

"They're not all bad." She frowned.

"I know, but… even our friends and the nice ones, I'm not interested in any of them…"

"You're just upset. Don't think too much about it."

"…I'm gonna keep working until we're done!"

"Atta girl!"

The boys comforted Yukari when they heard what the guy had done, then the girls went back to their busy work. They worked for another hour before closing, then the manager gave them their checks, and the paperwork of all of Tanaka's tea they had sold, which was a lot.

"You girls did excellent! Nice work, and thank you so much…"

.

They walked back with the guys to the dorm after getting changed, and everyone settled in from the stir of the day, deciding to go to Tartarus another night. Ezi went with Shinjiro to take Koromaru out for a walk to the shrine. The dog barked and ran around as they sat on the bench.

"Today was crazy." Ezi spoke first.

"No shit."

"Well, at least we made a decent buck! I can use it to save up and get you guys some nice presents for Christmas!"

He didn't reply for a moment. "Are you okay? I know Yukari was shook from the incident, but you seem fine…"

"I've dealt with worse." She said. "Thanks for stepping in, though."

"No problem…" He looked outward, and they watched the white dog dance in the blue moonlit sand.

"I don't get why things can get so bad so quickly." He said.

"Me neither. But, it could have been worse."

"It always could be worse." Shinjiro stated. "Look, I get you are strong enough to hold your own, but don't getting into trouble just because you can."

"Meaning what?"

"I guess… its nothing you can help."

"Please, tell me!"

He scoffed, and he kept his face forward. "You looked cute in the maid outfit, and when I think about what I thought of when I saw you in it, I can't imagine what a creep like today was thinking. I don't want to think about it. I would have beat the crap out of that guy if he had done anything to you."

She blinked a few times.

"You are a girl, and you are beautiful. Maybe if the world was different, you wouldn't have to think about having to protect yourself and loved ones all the time; but you do. So, just keep it in mind and don't do anything that will purposely get you into trouble."

"Shinjiro…" Her face felt warm.

"The team needs you, especially Aki."

She wasn't sure if she should reply to his advice. She looked onward as well, the light breeze rustling through the planted bushes that designed the courtyard of the shrine.

"Can we hangout again, tomorrow night?"

"I guess."

"Okay." She leaned her head on his shoulder, and they said nothing for a while until Koromaru quit running around and sat next to them, ready to leave.

.

.

.

The next day, Ezi saw Saori in the hall; she had come back from suspension, so she decided to go to the library committee.

"Good to see you again!"

"You're the only one who seems to think so. Since I got back this morning, no one seems to want to come here."

"Really?"

"You better stay clear of me, unless you want them to black sheep you too."

"Let them talk." She shrugged. "I've dealt with worse rumors."

Ms. Ounishi came in and told the girls they had one more space in the school newspaper, and she wanted them to write an advice article the young kids would want to read these days. Saori suggested boyfriend advice; that would attract readers, right?

"Well, write, Ezi." Saori handed her the paper.

"Ha! Nice, like I have any advice for this."

"We both do, but… I guess my past experience isn't worth shit here!"

"Shit?" Ezi echoed. "I feel like a nun jut started stripping again…"

Saori smiled widely. "Was that good? I just wanted to curse one time."

"It was fucking awesome!" They both giggled to themselves, trying to keep quiet in the library, which caused them to want to laugh even harder.

"…Maybe, ice cream?"

"What's that?" Saori grabbed the pen, ready to write.

"We could advise going to get ice cream with the guy you like… it would be a cute thing to do with someone you're into!"

"Yeah, and the whole indirect kiss thing…"

"The what thing?" Ezi asked.

"You know, how if you share ice cream or any food like that with someone, you're sharing germs… some people call it an indirect kiss in that case, if its with someone you like."

She blushed. "H-how have I not heard of this before? I'm usually aware of that stuff…"

"Is something wrong?"

Her mind was spinning around the other night. What if he had planned to get ice cream for that reason? But, she had asked to lick his cone—what was happening—

"N-no! Nothing." The girls finished writing the first draft, and Saori volunteered to edit and give it to the teacher. Then, the girls walked out to the gate of the school.

"I guess we can worry about other articles later!" Ezi said.

"Actually, Ezi-san…" Saori seemed sad. "I'm transferring soon."

"What? Why?"

"My parents got real mad after the suspension, they think after the move I can start fresh. It'll be okay, no one would miss me that much."

"That's not true! I would…"

"You're so kind. I just thought I'd tell you because it may happen soon."

She said bye to Saori for the day, and went home.

.

When she got to the dorm, Shinjiro approached her with a serious face.

"Hey, can you come with me?"

"Y-yeah, I'm not busy." She wanted to shed her clothes from the long school day, but he seemed urgent.

"Oh… thanks." so she followed him on a quiet, average stroll to the back alley of the Iwatodai station.

"Why are we here? I thought you didn't like me being here…"

"This place has a few memories, though…" He admitted. "Come to think of it, this is where I met you, too."

"Yeah! And you saved us from those guys."'

"Well, you should be able to come back here anytime you want, now… I know now you could handle yourself."

"Thanks."

"Back then, I never thought I'd join the group again."

There was a breeze, but she felt hot.

"I'm glad you came back."

"Me too."

He stared at the wall, particularly, the one lit by the dim lighting above the street, but he said nothing. Ezi was growing anxious with every quiet second… why did he bring her here now? He turned towards the nearest wall and looked down.

"…You're… a pain."

"Thanks." She said, trying to hold her sarcasm.

"I'm serious. You keep messing things up for me."

"…I didn't expect you to come into my life either." She replied, understanding now.

Still, he couldn't look at her.

"I keep thinking my life is the way it's supposed to be, but…"

She was out of breath, out of air. The same fleeting moment she felt when she saw him the first time was back, and now, she knew what it was.

"Shinjiro-sempai…"

"Sheesh," he chuckled, but he was still tense, "Your face keeps popping into my head…"

She swallowed. What? So soon, was he confessing? She was happy and horrified, upset and thrilled all at once—for once, she didn't know what to say.

"Sorry…" He kept his eyes down, "I don't know why I…"

"Its okay-"

They were interrupted when an older couple busted through the back door of the club behind them, laughing from intoxication.

"C-come on, we should go back… We actually have a place to go home to."

"A-alright." They walked in silence all the way home, and for once it was painfully awkward to be with him. She didn't know how to respond to what he'd told her in the alley, even though she so badly wanted to right then.

"The sky seems really nice out tonight, you can see the stars." He said suddenly.

Oh great. Talking about the weather was so basic, and not a good sign at all.

"Yeah! They're really pretty…" She had to do something, something to show she was still interested. "Shinjiro?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, I feel like I should tell you something, but I don't know how you'll take it, since you think I'm such a good leader and all, but I know you're worried about me, too…"

"Well, you are, and I am. But, go ahead."

"Um, remember how I told you I trained in America, and that's why I'm so skilled?"

"Yeah?"

"Well… that was a lie."

"What do you mean?"

"I… I mean, I may have trained in America, but if I did, I don't remember."

"What? How can you not remember where you learned how to defend yourself?"

She gripped her skirt, nervously.

"I… don't remember because, I just, can't remember."

"You're… confusing me…"

"It's one of the reasons I came to Japan, to find the gaps in my memory. When I was in America, I was seeing a therapist… she and I believed I had forgotten relevant points in my life, even if no one else in my life could remember them either. I was really depressed because there's been some lost memories and… I don't know what's missing, or how I lost them."

He was quiet, so she continued.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true… Before I came here, it was confirmed. I awoke these abilities I must have learned from some kind of training, but I forgot about it, like other parts of my memory, and I don't know why…"

"Whoa…" was all he managed to say.

"That's why I came to Japan. I've been searching for answers, since my late parents used to be scientists here. But instead, I met all of you… And to be honest, I know I'm meant to be here, even if…"

She gasped. Shinjiro was wrapped around her, his warm coat and powerful frame protecting her. She inhaled the sharp smell from his coat, which seem to cause her to stand frozen in his arms.

"Idiot… why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I'm s-sorry…" She felt like crying, for some reason. It'd been a while since she brought up her lost memories to anyone, she'd been so busy. "Sorry-"

"Quit apologizing." He let go of her and held onto her shoulders. "You should have told me this before."

"It's a secret, please don't tell the others. They may think I'm crazy, or that they can't rely on a leader that has no background she can account for…"

"My opinion for you hasn't changed." He said. "Alright?"

She kept her eyes down, holding it in. She sniffled and nodded her head.

"Okay…"

"Chin up, we still need you." He said. "I think, you're supposed to be here."

"I think you are too…okay?"

 _Please, don't leave the team again…_

He didn't answer for a moment, and they kept walking.

"…Yeah."

.

.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: I hope the cafe scene didn't make anyone seem too OOC! I liked it though. I'll update asap, thanks for the reviews again; Date 18 coming up soon!


	21. Date 18: Waxing Crescent-GoodnightMoon1

**THIS IS A LOONG Chapter~ I had to break it into 3 parts. I like having 5 chapters for each block, and its less confusing so I have to do it this way. Some violent stuff happens here so just a fair warning! I hope you enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Date 18: Waxing Crescent—Good Night, Moon (1)**

.

.

Akihiko called her the beginning of the day.

"Good morning! I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"Akihiko-sempai? Are you in the dorm?"

"Y-yeah… I had something I wanted to talk to you about. It won't take long! How about we take Koromaru out for a walk to the shrine later today?"

"Okay, sounds good."

"Really? Great! I'll see you later then—"

"Wait, Akihiko," She halted, "Um, have you had breakfast yet?"

After the conversation, suddenly, she was standing in front of Shinjiro's closed door. She had her thoughts of what she should do, but they were all curled away into her fist that she used to begin banging on the door with.

"WAKE-UP, SEMPAI! WAKE-UP!"

It took a few more hits to the door before he finally opened it. She could only see him, wearing a grey shirt, and his hair was messy. His eyes were squinted and glaring at her. She couldn't see into his room because the drapes hadn't opened yet, so it was almost dark.

"What… the… hell?"

"Good morning!"

"Are you kidding me… it's Sunday, go away." He was about to close the door but she pushed it open and kept her foot in the way.

"No! Don't crush my feetsies!"

"Damn you…" He growled.

"Get your clothes on! We're having breakfast."

"Oh no, not you too… I'm not making anything right now."

"Not you, me! I'm making pancakes."

"You can make pancakes?"

"I'm not completely ignorant of the kitchen! Get up, get up!"

"Who else is eating?"

"Well, everyone, really… we all have our errands to run, but we want a nice meal before we go out on the town! So get your ass up! You're going to eat my pancakes whether you like it or not!"

"Okay, okay! You don't have to harass me about it…" He paused, "Hey, if everyone else is eating too, maybe I should help you."

"No no no no, you said you didn't want to make anything-"

"But it'll go faster with two people working on it."

"I'll ask Fuuka if she wants to help too!" She exclaimed. "She did mention she wanted to make French toast and hash browns."

"I'll do the bacon and eggs, you can make the pancakes."

"Yes sir, chef sir! Let's do it!"

Everyone else was waiting around the lounge patiently for them to finish. Mitsuru and Yukari were drinking warm tea, and Akhiko had some kind of power shake as they waited.

Shinjiro was overseeing them and their duties in the kitchen while they prepared their food.

"Hey, don't get too much whites from the yolk when you put it on the bread."

"Oh, s-sorry! You're right." Fuuka said.

"And you, why'd you buy flax seed?" He demanded of Ezi. "It's not the best tasting, and you're putting it in buttermilk pancakes?"

"Mind your own business! I know what I'm doing!"

"Just don't put too much-Ow!"

She had slapped his arm.

"What did I just say?"

"F-fine, fine. I'll leave you to it…" He backed away.

Yukari and Ken set up the table, and Junpei and Akihiko were constantly waiting by the kitchen entrance for them to finish.

"Fuuka, your French toast smells great!" Junpei said longingly.

"Are you guys almost done with the bacon? Can I at least have a strip of bacon before we actually eat?" Akihiko whined.

"Don't be such a kid!" Shinjiro scolded. "Honestly, what am I gonna do with you?"

"You're gonna feed me!" Akihiko exclaimed.

Ezi burst into laughter. "You really are a kid, sempai."

"No I'm not! I-I can be patient! Watch…" He stepped onto his toes so he could look over Shinjiro's shoulder by the oven. "You put the bacon in the oven? W-what if it's not cooked enough?"

"Don't you know anything? Aki, go do something useful instead of judging my cooking!"

"You know I can't help it, I just want to make sure…"

"Akihiko-sempai seems to take his bacon very seriously." Fuuka giggled.

"I just want to see you do a good job, Shinji." He said too sweetly.

"Like I'm gonna fall for that! You just want the bacon… go run a mile or something, idiot."

They served everyone, with French toast covered in blueberries and raspberries and strawberry syrup. There were bowls of cut cantaloupe and mangos, and cut hash browns and scrambled eggs blended with red and green bell peppers and ham, smoked maple bacon and the pancakes were buttermilk with sweetened flax and chocolate chip.

"Hot damn! This spread is better than… what's that pancake place in America? IHOP!" Junpei exclaimed.

"We might be getting spoiled with all of these great meals you keep feeding us." Mitsuru said.

"Thanks you guys! This is all wonderful." Yukari praised.

"Arf!"

"He said: thank you for the ham and bacon dog food, Shinjiro-kun." Aigis translated.

"No problem."

"Thanks for making pancakes, Ezi." Akihiko said quietly.

"Yes! I made some ones with flax in case the chocolate chip ones were too sweet for you."

"You remembered… thanks."

"Meh, these pancakes are okay." Junpei mumbled.

"Just okay?" Ezi glowered at him.

"I mean, they're not the _best_ I've eaten, but they'll do."

"They don't taste good because I poisoned them. Well, just yours, Junpei."

He pretended to make a choking sound. "I knew you were secretly evil!"

"Bwa ha-ha! And the chocolate chips are actually explosives!"

"Nooo!" He cried out, and he rested his head on the table, close to Yukari, so he wouldn't hit his plate.

"Stupei! I don't want your hairs in my food!"

"Really, you're so childish." Akihiko commented.

"Says the kid who couldn't wait to eat bacon." Ken mumbled.

"Hey, I waited, didn't I? And now, I got my reward."

"Reward? You guys are all a bunch of children." Shinjiro chided.

"I guess that makes you our parent, then!" Ezi teased.

"Hey, parent! Ask Ezi who she's dating."

"Junpei!" Ezi exclaimed. "That was rude and a very sudden subject to bring up!"

"What? If you won't answer me, maybe you'll have to tell somebody else!"

"Oh, there's somebody you like, Ezi-chan?" Akihiko asked.

"There's nothing to tell, you sly dog." She grumbled, stuffing her face.

"Nahhh, you've been in high spirits lately. I know where that spark came from!"

"You're seeing things. Or, you're making stuff up to piss me off… either way you're wrong."

"I'll get you to spill the beans, eventually!" He declared.

"The beans will not fall from their plastic container." She insisted.

"Why does it have to be plastic?" He retorted.

"Must this conversation linger?" Mitsuru asked strikingly. "Iori-san, if Leon-san is afflicted with the affections of liking someone, it is none of your business."

"Thank you, Mitsuru-sempai!"

"Even if we're all dying to know who it is?" Junpei pressed.

"There is no one! Drop it, or I'll throw the silverware at you since this food is too precious to throw!"

"Uh, I agree," Yukari's eyes shifted from Ezi to the food on her fork. "We should talk about this next week, and how we are preparing for the Shadow!"

"Meh, fine." He grumbled.

 _That was close,_ Ezi thought. She had been nervous the entire time he was interrogating her… partly because, she noticed Shinjiro was scrutinizing every one of her facial movements.

Mitsuru helped clean up with Fuuka and Shinjiro and Yukari, and when they were done, Mitsuru left to go to her fencing classes off the island, and Shinjiro went to run his own errands.

"Ezi-san," Akihiko approached, "you still wanna go to the shrine?"

"Yeah, I nice walk would be nice, huh, Koromaru?"

"Arf!"

"We're coming too!" Yukari declared.

"M-mind if I come along too?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, I'm down to pray at the shrine for Chidori." Junpei said.

Ezi shrugged. "I guess it's a party then." She looked to see Shinjiro was heading back up to his room, and he was gone before she could ask him if he wanted to join.

At the shrine, everyone seemed to go their separate ways for a while. Ezi talked to Akihiko on the benches.

"So what's up?" She began.

"I'm having a hard time at school…this girl keeps asking me out, but I already turned her down. She keeps sending me gifts and notes in my locker. I just don't know what to say to her."

"You're so funny, always trying to be nice and charming. That's why all the girls like you, you know."

"D-don't say that! It's not like I want all this attention."

"Girls can be more attracted to good guys than they know, and you happen to be popular, so it's a bonus!"

"Oh, I see…Is that the type of guy you like?"

Shinjiro popped into her mind, and she could see his kind smile. "Nope, not at all."

"Oh, I see…W-well anyway, what should I do?"

"I say… you could tell her you're not interested again, but you already did… maybe this is a stalker! I know! Just tell her you already have a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, but, I'd hate to lie, I'd need someone to play the part. Maybe you could do it for me, if I get desperate."

For some reason, they both began tremendously laughing at the thought.

"Oh, right! The last place I want to be when your stalker thinks you have a girlfriend is on your arms! Although, I could beat her."

"Yeah, I could see that happening. I'd ask you to chase her away with your spear!"

"Ah yes, it's just what everyone has been picturing since I got here, that's why the rumors don't stop! If I'm not Junpei's girlfriend, I'm yours… I don't know which is worst to deal with when it comes to all those crazy girls!"

They were still cackling away when Yukari and Junpei walked towards them. "'You guys okay?"

"Look! Here comes my boyfriend now!" Ezi raised her hand towards Junpei. They were both out of breath from laughing so hard.

"Alright… we're just gonna go shopping and then get some food for lunch later on." Yukari said, as they backed away slowly.

"Wild Duck Burger!" Akihiko said suddenly.

" _Yus!_ Let's go!" Ezi raised her fist into the air. They gathered Koromaru to take back to the dorm and the humans went out to eat for a late lunch.

After a bit of clothes and supply shopping for the lounge, they went to the Wild Duck Burger. The restaurant was incredibly loud. Thankfully, Yukari knew one of the girls working from her archery club, and they got to order early. Now all that was left was to survive the chaos around their table as they waited for their food. Ezi was sitting at the end with Ken across from her, and Akihiko next to her, with Junpei next to him and Yukari across from him.

"Fuuka went out with Natsuki and that DJ from the music club today…" Ezi could barely hear Yukari at the other side of the table.

"What is she saying?" She asked Akihiko.

"WHAT?"

She waved her hand at him, giving up, and facing Ken.

They talked about comic books again.

"…I only still read them because my mom got them for me. They remind me of my childhood."

"Oh, I see… Your mom really took care of you, huh?"

"Yeah, she did…"

"My foster mom would buy me comics too! I had Retroman, Samurai Unleashed, stories about warrior princesses and talking animals saving their kingdom from fat guys…"

"That's… very unique." He still seemed so surprised.

"Yeah, good times…"

"I-Is your foster mother in America right now?"

"To be honest, I don't really know… she travels out of state a lot, I haven't talked to her since I left. She's been a bit distant since my brother died."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay, I expected her to react this way about it. It's hard losing people, but you gotta keep going, doing the things they would have wanted you to do with your life."

"Yes, I made a vow to my mom that's sort of like that…" Ken said quietly.

Finally, their food arrived. They all ate without talking mostly, since they could barely hear each other anyway. In the late afternoon, they all returned to the dorm, ended there fun-filled day.

.

.

That night, there was a familiar presence.

The Dark Hour.

Pharos appeared.

"Good evening. I probably don't have to tell you, but the next moon will be in one week."

"You don't, but _tis_ a nice little warning." She said.

"I hope nothing serious happens, but who knows what the future will bring."

"I'll make sure nothing happens!"

"Be careful. Remember, I'm always watching you. We'll meet again."

Pharos disappeared.

.

After school the next day, Saori was more depressed than ever.

"Why so glum sugarplum?"

"Oh, Ezi… I just want to clear my name before I get transferred, I know it sounds silly, but even if people don't listen, I still want to say the truth before I go, not for them, but for me."

"I understand, but how are you gonna tell everyone in the school your business?"

It was almost too perfect, because the intercom went off right then, calling student to Mr. Edogawa's office.

"That's it, we'll use the intercom! Everyone in the school will hear it!"

Ezi was hesitant, but she wanted to support Saori. "We better do it quick, school just ended so there's still a lot of people here who can hear it!"

"Yeah, let's go!"

They snuck into the teacher's lounge and Saori turned it on, nervous…

"You can do it!" Ezi cheered.

She nodded her head and began: "Attention everyone: This is Saori Hasigawa. I-I have an announcement to make… The rumors about me, are not true. Whether you decide to believe me or not, I still wanted to tell you all the truth…"

Ezi was nervous, for Saori and for herself. She cared a lot about Saori, but this could get them into a lot of trouble, she realized…

Oh well.

After she was done, Mr. Ekoda popped in, angry as usual.

"Saori! I should have expelled you!" He lead them out into the hallway to be yelled at, an embarrassment tactic, Ezi thought, as students walked by and snickered at their predicament.

"I don't believe this," Ms. Toriumi, and Mrs. Ounishi, Saori's homeroom teacher, had been called to the scene.

"I don't have time to deal with these hooligans! But they're your students, so take care of it!" Mr. Ekoda stomped away.

"Well, I told Mr. Ekoda about your situation, Miss Hasagawa." Mrs. Ounishi said sternly.

"Ezi, you're one of my best students… and you're in student council! Why would you do this?"

"I-It wasn't Ezi's fault! She didn't even know what was going on!" Saori defended.

"Saori-sempai…" No, she couldn't let her go down alone. "It was my idea."

"Ezi-san?" Ms. Toriumi looked disheartened. The worst that would happen is she'd be suspended… which, didn't bother her so much, for some reason.

"Well, I can see why this happened…" Mrs. Ounishi sounded as if she also looked down upon Saori the way Mr. Ekoda did. "All that gossiping you kids do, and now everyone has made you into a monster, you just wanted to clear your name. Well, I did tell Mr. Ekoda to do something about it, but I guess he never did."

"Huh?" Ezi was shocked.

"Then, you felt this was your only option, huh?" Ms. Toriumi added. "As far as I can see, you certainly didn't harm anyone…"

"Right… So, Ms. Toriumi, did you see anything happen?"

"You mean, did I see friends helping out each other to seek justice? Yes, I did. And I'm afraid I only punish students who refuse to excel as best they can in their curriculum and in life, which obviously, neither of these girls fit that description."

Soari and Ezi exchanged glances, like excited children. "Thank you!" They said in unison

"Now, don't think you can do whatever you want now, this was your one time pass, okay?" Ms. Toriumi looked so happy to be blessing them with her grace.

"Of course not, m'am!" Ezi agreed. "It'll never happen again!"

Ms. Ounishi cleared her throat. "And, you did publically display rebellion on campus, so we'll just punish you a little… I want you to write another article in the weekly newsletter. It can be about anything but I expect to see one written for next week."

"O-okay, we can do that." Saori said.

The girls thanked them again and then finished organizing in the library, then they left the school finally, when it was getting dark out.

When she returned to the dorm, Ikutsuki and Mitsuru were in the lounge, no one else was present.

"Ah, there you are." Ikutsuki pushed his glasses in.

"Leon-san, Mister Ekoda contacted us."

"Did he?"

"You almost got suspended from school, you and Saori Hasegawa."

"That is a fact."

"This is no laughing matter, Leon-san." Mitsuru's arms were crossed, as was her composure. "If you get in trouble like that at school, the board could cut you from the SEES team, and you will be kicked out of the dorm."

"Seriously?"

"Its not likely with your academic stature that that would happen immediately, but if something like this happens again, I would do what I could to convince the board otherwise." He sighed. "So please, be careful next time."

"Mr. Ekoda is a—!"

"You don't need to say anything else."

The un-refreshing lecture wasn't worth arguing about. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to help a friend."

"Please, don't let it happen again." Mitsuru chided. Ezi walked slowly up the stairs, tired.

Mitsuru sighed, unappeased by the results of their discipline.

.

.

She went to basketball practice instead of the student council meeting the next day. She lied to Hidetoshi about an important game coming up, but really she didn't want to deal with Mitsuru.

"Ezi-san!"

"Huh?"

"I almost threw the ball at you, and you weren't even looking!" One of the girls on the team said.

"S-sorry."

"What's up with you and Rio-chan? You guys aren't focused at all!"

Ezi turned to see Rio with a somber look on her face as she did passing drills. She understood how she felt, now…

"Rio, come here." She had another girl take her place as she went to talk to Ezi. "I know you're upset about Kenji, but… you gotta get focused. You're the team captain."

"I'm sorry! I can't help it…. I don't know what to do."

"Maybe…you should just tell him how you feel."

"What? No way! I-I can't! What if he says no? I don't think I can take that kind of rejection!"

"What? Rio, you like someone?" Suddenly practice was irrelevant, and the girls began to swarm them. "Who is it? Tell us! Ezi, do you know?"

"Uh, I have no idea."

"Thanks, Ezi-san…" Rio said.

"What? Come on! You gotta tell us!"

"It's no wonder you've been so out of it! That's a good reason!"

"I-It is?"

"Yeah, we all thought you were just stuck up with no emotion, but that's not true!"

"Thanks… I think." Rio grumbled.

"We'll help you! Who is it?" They demanded.

She swallowed. "…Kenji-kun."

"WHAT?" The girls began to squeal and ask questions all at once.

"You guys have been friends for such a long time!"

"You guys would be cute together!"

"You have to tell him how you feel!"

Ezi thought of how they'd all react if they knew who she liked… an outcast like Shinjiro probably didn't have a good reputation, but what did she care?

"Y-you're right! I will go talk to him…" She marched out of the gym and the girls were cheering for her as she did.

"Good luck, Rio…" Ezi was happy, not only was Rio being brave, but the girls were working together on something.

Yuko ran in with the fundraiser sheet. "Where's Rio, we have to talk about this!"

"She's talking to Kenji…"

"In the middle of practice?"

"Yeah… she's sort of confessing her love."

"WHAT? WE HAVE TO GO OVER THERE AND SEE HOW SHE'S DOING!"

Yuko pulled Ezi, and they and the other girls hid behind the hallway pillars outside while Rio and Kenji talked by the tree.

"…I was wondering…"

"She's gonna say it!" Yuko whispered excitedly.

"Do you… like me?"

"Huh? I guess…so…"

"He guesses so?" One of the girls whispered, angrily.

"R-Really? How much do you like me?" Rio clasped her hand to her breast, waiting drastically for his response.

"Um… about as much as ramen?"

"WHAT!" Yuko was the first to stand out from their hiding place.

"What the-what are you all doing here?" Kenji looked horrified.

"How dare you compare her to food!" The girls said.

"You outta be ashamed!"

"She was brave enough to ask you, and that's all you can say?"

They continued to yell at him, until he finally ran off.

"Sorry, Rio…" Yuko said sadly. "We came to see how you were doing. What a jerk!"

"Yeah, that wasn't very nice of Kenji…" Ezi agreed.

"No guys! It's okay. I appreciate all of your support very much, but you don't understand: his favorite food is ramen, so if he likes me that much, that's good enough for now… thank you for giving me the courage, Ezi. And all of you!"

The girls talked more about it, then they finished another hour of practice before departing for the day. As she walked back, she thought of how the outcome for Rio was pleasant, and that she should try it herself… she did tell her to just be honest, after all. Maybe she needed to do follow her own advice….

But her situation was a little different. Being leader, it would be weird if she started dating him all of a sudden. She had never considered dating any guy before, even when she was in America… but why? What memories was she missing that kept her from being committed to her true feelings? For all she knew, there could have been somebody else she had loved and completely forgot about him… and what if it were to happen again? She couldn't imagine forgetting her friends here, and Shinjiro…

.

.

Since practice had ended early, Ezi was the first to the dorm, or at least, she had thought she was.

"Koro-chan?" No barking, no response. Ken must have taken him for a walk. She threw her uniform jacket off and threw it on the couch, heading to the kitchen. She wished Shinjiro was there to cook something delicious; she was starving—

There was noise upstairs, like something had fallen over.

"Hello?" No response. She shrugged it off and put some wheat bread in the toast to make a delectable sandwich. As she searched for the ingredients in the fridge, there was creak on the floorboards in the hallway. Her heart jumped.

She spun around and caught the man's fist before it could come down on her. In his hand was a knife. She was startled to see the guy had wild eyes and a dark mustache and hair, wearing baggy clothes. He snarled at her like a rabid dog as he tried to sink the knife in his hand lower. She realized he was unbearably stronger in a moment, and managed to twist his wrist down away from her, then head-butted him and kicking his stomach. Another man was behind him, and she recognized him immediately: the man who had harassed Yukari at the café.

"Fucking bitch!" He had only his fists, but his oncoming jump towards her had him topple on top of her. He immediately punched her face, and the sensation flashed stars in her eyes. She groaned as he ripped at her shirt, tearing the top buttons off.

"Hurry up! We need a sacrifice for what's to come!"

She screamed as she gained consciousness. These psychopaths were trying to kill her. He sat on top of her with a dirty smell, and held her wrists down on either side.

"Young flesh, we offer you!" The other guy said; he was wobbly as he crawled over to the side of her, with his knife scrapping on the tile.

"No… No!"

"Accept judgment! You will not stop it!" The man above her said. She was screaming, and they were smiling at her agony. The man raised his knife.

 _No…_

"What the-?"

Now, they were screaming.

 _Stop…_

She could see them from an aerial view, and they were looking up at her with some kind of horror, and the blackness sprouting behind her. It swiveled over her shoulder and stabbed into the blonde's left eye, and blood splattered out. The other guy scrambled around the table, but she was on him in seconds, and he suffered a similar fate. She could see it happening in flashes, the constructed destruct of them being smashed and screaming their last breaths as the thing mangled them in a fury she could not control.

Until there was nothing left…

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Warm, and something was drying on her arms and face, like paint.

Someone was screaming. It was Yukari.

Ezi shot up from her spot on the couch, and then she remembered everything. She was gasping for air like she hadn't taken breath in a long time, and she kicked her legs about to sit up straight as she stared at everybody with wide eyes.

"Ezi! It's okay…" Akihiko had his arms raised to her, and Yukari was covering her mouth in shock. There was a trail of blood leading out to the dorm front, and suddenly she could see crimson and blue lights twirling out the window as the sun was going down.

How did she get on the couch, though?

She raised her arms and turned her palms to see red all over them. She couldn't remember.

She was breathing like a fish out of water, and she tried calming down, like waking up from a bad dream.

"Dude… it's okay…" Junpei said softly. Fuuka, Ken and Koromaru were in the room too, but Shinjiro wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Just breath, Ezi-chan!" Fuuka cried.

"Wh-How-?" She felt tired. The EMT's from the ambulance outside came in with a stretcher.

"Honey, can you hear me?" One of them put their gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Y-yeah."

"Okay, we're gonna get you to the hospital, just hang tight."

Everything was a blur, from the ambulance to the hospital bed. They weren't rushing her in when they realized she had no fatal wounds, but she was still having a panic attack, and they gave her some medicine in the IV to calm her down.

Her friends were in the waiting room downstairs. The large crowd of dorm mates filled the room up, and they all stood when the female doctor came in.

"Miss Kirijo." The doctor nodded to her, seeming to recognize Mitsuru.

"Doctor, how is she?"

"Uh, well… She is fine. Physically, there are no wounds except for some bruising on the left side of her face. That's not why she was passed out, though. We ran all the tests, and she's fairly normal.

"Fairly?" Shinjiro had walked in from the automatic doors in flurry.

"Sempai…" Fuuka addressed him.

"What the hell does that mean? What happened to her?"

"Calm down, Shinji!" Akihiko stepped in front of him. "We're trying to figure that out!"

The doctor continued. "Well… I'm not sure it's appropriate to tell all of you. She really doesn't have any relatives?"

"We're… all she has…" Mitsuru was lying, of course. But, they didn't really have time to contact her foster mother.

She nodded. "If you are all here to support her, then, I suppose its okay…"

"Get on with it!" Shinjiro snapped.

"Well, she suffered form a blackout, one I can only believe be similar to that of a bipolar occurrence."

"Ezi's not bipolar, is she?" Yukari wondered.

"No way, she's always happy!" Junpei stated.

"Well, then, I would assume the dissociative order only occurred for that moment during the incident because of PTSD."

"PTSD?" Ken frowned.

"Whatever happened at the crime scene, it shocked her psychologically, and brought back some unpleasant trauma from her past. Bipolar blackouts can happen like that with PTSD. Otherwise, I don't know any other reason she could have passed out. I would say with a few fluids tonight she'll be right as reign by tomorrow."

"But, what could have happened to her to have PTSD?" Fuuka wondered.

"I have my theories…" The doctor sighed. "But, those are private, you'll have to speak with her about it."

"Do you think it can happen again?"

"Seeing as how this is the first time she's passed out from this, I'd say no. But, it's possible. I would say the best medicine after this would be a psych evaluation, and some friend support from all of you."

"Thank you, doctor." Mitsuru said.

"You didn't hear any of this from me… the police will be here soon to interrogate her. You can see her afterwards." She left them and the others waited for the police.

When Akihiko noticed officer Kurosawa coming down the stairs from her room, they circled him and his deputy.

"Officer. What did she say? What happened?"

"There you all are. I'll have some questions for all of you too, if you can help us out…"

After the police talked to them individually, they were escorted to Ezi's room. Even though there only a few visitors allowed, they let them all go in.

She had been staring at her hands dully until they walked in from the sliding door.

They noticed right away that her face had a blue and purple bruise on her swollen cheek, and her eye on the same side was red.

"There you all are!" She beamed. "Sorry, I would have come to see you myself, but you know… I'm in a hospital bed."

They all smiled back. "How are you feeling?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'm okay! I feel right as reign with this IV… I think they put something in here other than fluids."

"Thank goodness!" Yukari stepped up first and hugged her. "I was so worried! I'm so glad you didn't get hurt by those thugs!"

Ezi's eyes widened again. She thought about what Kurosawa had said about the intruders of the dorm when he was asking her questions:

.

 _"After you managed to defend yourself, they took off to the station. We lost sight of them, but don't worry, I don't think they'll be trying to come back anytime soon after what you did."_

 _"But, didn't I kill them?"_

 _"No. And according to CSI, they could have survived their wounds. What did you use anyway?"_

 _"Uh… a kitchen knife…"_

 _"Well, it's a good thing you've been training with SEES. You're lucky you could defend yourself, or else…"_

 _._

She had been lying, of course. She didn't know what the source of power was, but maybe it had been the Persona from the first night; the same one that came and destroyed the Shadows the night they were trapped with the numbing gas.

…It had saved her again, whatever it was.

"Of course I'm okay. I'm mother frickin' E-Z-I…" She rubbed Yukari's back until she let go of her.

"Uh… Sorry about the mess in the dorm." Ezi seemed to look at the seniors.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" Shinjiro snarled.

"What he means is, we don't care about any of that." Mitsuru tried to explain. "I'll be having camera's placed inside the dorm, as well as outside the perimeter."

"Yeah! Good call. I mean, I'd love to kick their ass again, but the less violence the better, right?"

"I can't believe those bastards got away…" Junpei cursed.

Ken hopped up and placed his head on her legs that were covered by a blanket.

"Ezi!"

"Ken-kun?"

"I came home with Koro-chan, and I saw all that blood on you… I thought you were really…"

Her eyes dimmed. "I'm sorry I worried you… I'm really, s…" She was choking on her words.

"Ezi-san…" Fuuka said quietly.

She could feel the tear rolling on her cheek.

"Darn you Ken, I was doing fine…" She grabbed the boy's back and gripped it as he held onto her legs. "I was so scared…"

She wanted to scream it, but she felt embarrassed, even if they were her friends. She wiped the tear from her cheek and took a deep breath. "They were trying to kill me. They said something about needing a sacrifice? I guess they picked our dorm because they saw us working at the Chargall Café."

"A sacrifice? What does that mean?" Junpei wondered.

"I have no idea… But, I have a feeling it has something to do with Tartarus. Or, maybe Strega?"

"I'll try to see if I can get something out of Chidori." Junpei said.

"You don't have to—"

"It's all I can do! You were attacked, and if you weren't, well, you, you'd be dead! We can't let those bastards get away with this!"

"I think you're mistaken…" Ezi looked up at all of them. "I should have finished what I started."

"You mean?"

"They were gonna kill me! And, probably Ken and Koro-chan too when they got home! I know we deal with Shadows all the time, but this is different! Shadows just prey and attack, that's all they do! But people have logic and compassion—and those creeps chose the opposite!"

No one said anything for a moment.

"When I passed out, I dreamed about… tearing them apart… and, I liked it…"

"Ezi…" Yukari and the others were speechless.

"I thought it was real! I was happy and terrified with myself for being happy about it, but…"

"It would make you no better than them." Shinjiro said. "Also, you don't want someone's death on your conscience."

Ken sat up, with a blank stare on his face.

"Shinji!" Akihiko snapped.

"No, he's right. That's why I'm glad I didn't… but… what should I be feeling right now?"

"No certain way whatsoever. You've suffered from a horrible attack, and we're just glad you're okay." Mitsuru said.

"Yeah… she nodded. I- I'm glad to have you guys supporting me!"

"We don't have to talk about it anymore. You get some rest, okay?"

"Yeah! I'm all over it! Some sleep would be good."

"If its okay with you, I'll send in a psychiatrist from the Kirijo group to examine you, if you don't want one from the hospital. The doctor recommended it before you leave."

"Sure!"

The team left her then, and it was easy for her to fall asleep to her music. She really thought she was going to die… But then, some kind of power emerged that protected her. Something else from the lost pieces—

Dark Hour came. She threw her sheets off and ran through the empty hospital, filled with transmogrified doctors and patients.

"Pharos? Pharos!"

Nothing. She went up to the suicide prevention ward and stood in front of Chidori's glass door, banging on it until the sleeping girl woke up. Surprisingly, she was willing to get out of bed with droopy eyes and stand in front of the glass.

"I was attacked today, by one of your people!"

"Not possible. They would not attack you in the daytime. It could foil their plans if they were caught…"

She was speaking to her.

"I… I need to know if you know what happened today. These crazy guys were trying to sacrifice me!"

Chidori blinked.

"If you know something… please, tell me. I have faced death many times, but this was different. I felt helpless…"

"You were afraid?" She wondered. Ezi nodded her head.

"Death is nothing to be afraid of… but lately, I'm not so sure…"

"Huh?"

"…It's not likely you'll be attacked again. But, that's all I know."

It wasn't all the answers, but it was enough. "Thank you… I'll tell Junpei you comforted me."

She didn't respond, but she watched Ezi leave down the hall.

.

.

She was actually nervous the next day when the psych evaluated her. She wasn't sure if she would be clinically diagnosed as insane, or if she would come out normal. Tests were always easier if you could prepare for them.

Either way, the doctor cleared her that afternoon, giving her a card for sessions if she felt she would have trauma from the incident. It was an easy get away and they gave her fresh clothes to go back to the dorm in.

No one was there yet since school was still in session, but the lounge had been cleaned out already, as if nothing had happened. She avoided the kitchen area and ran upstairs. She took a shower and greeted everyone when they came home from their daily activities. To get her mind off of things, she talked to all of them and pried about their business, discussing things like pop-quizzes to and the gross food they had for lunch.

They ate dinner together, and Junpei read stupid jokes from a stupid joke book, that were so lame everyone threw in many pity chuckles, until it arose into actual laughter at how pathetic they were. They ate leftovers, and studied, and rested for the night.

Shinjiro hadn't said much at dinner, but he sat next to her on the couch when everyone had left to their rooms as the evening grew late.

"…Hey." He said.

"Hi."

"Did you… want to do anything?"

"Yeah! But, I'm not sure what it is just yet…"

"Actually, why don't we just hangout here tonight?"

"Sounds good to me! A date is still a date even if we're just hanging out here at the dorm."

"D-date?" He said.

She snickered. "Kidding, again!"

He smiled warmly, and she tried to hold in her excitement at the look on his face. It was so good to see him after what had happened just the day before.

"I missed you!"

"What? We weren't even apart that long…"

"Well, it felt like an eternity…"

They both sat there for a long while… actually, it was not even 10 seconds.

"C'mon, talk about something." He ordered.

"…Uh, should I tell a scary story?"

"What's up with that? Oh yeah… You seemed into ghost stories that first time you went to the back alley, too. Seriously, you're such a kid…" He sounded dismissive, but he looked at her as if he was enjoying it.

"Okay! The story of the long haired wife…"

"Heard it."

"You have not heard it!"

"I have."

"How much money you wanna bet?"

"Her husband killed her, with an axe, right?"

"Y-yeah…"

"This isn't bothering you, is it?"

"What?"

"This subject…"

"Nope! I realized something. Yesterday was scary, but I'm still here! What am I gonna do? Avoid kitchen knives for the rest of my life?"

"No, but…"

She leaned towards him. "I've had enough near-death experiences for 20 life times. I might be a little scared, but…" She smiled. "I have you…" He seemed startled, "And all my other friends to support me. I have more good memories than bad."

"Good…"

She talked to him about many subjects. Shinjiro's expression didn't change, as usual. However, for some reason, he seemed more lonesome than usual, too…

She felt she had to fill the void with some sort of theatrics and storytelling. Then, she went to a ghost story, about a ghost that haunted an elementary school and picked off the students one by one.

"...It was the teacher all along! The student stared in shock at the revelation, but it was too late for all them…" She sunk back into her chair like she had passed out.

"Are you done? That's the end?"

She sat back up. "Yep!"

"C'mon, tell me more. Encore, encore!" Shinjiro laughed. "That was actually a very good twist."

At Shinjiro's urging, she continued to talk about other subjects. She talked to him about her school clubs, and the drama on the basketball team, or how Saori was accused of being a slut, and Bebe, and the elders she bought manga from at the store at the strip mall, the monk at Club Escapade, the gossip in the halls, shows she watched, and music she listened to…

He just listened to her aimless conversation.

"It sounds like your enjoying your days."

"Yeah… I like most of everyone I've met since I've been on the island!" She laughed.

"You look best when you laugh." He said sadly. "So, don't cry, got it…?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"…Just what I said." He looked downwards.

"I just want to make sure I don't leave anything behind. No doubts, no regrets…"

"You don't? I'm the one who nearly died! What are you talking about then? Did something happen? What do you mean by leave behind?"

"I keep telling you what to forget and what to remember… What to want and what not to want…"

"I hadn't noticed."

"I'm… selfish, aren't I?"

"You're, not…" Her light was fading, in more ways than one, and he could see it, the discomfort in her eyes.

"…Hey, as long as I'm already being selfish, I want you to do one thing for me."

"…Alright." The lump in her throat, the desperation for air- it had all returned. She was greatly concerned for him, and now…

"You don't have to forgive me, but forgive everything else."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand later."

"You'll tell me now! What have you done that needs forgiving?"

"I… can't tell you. You'll find out eventually."

"Did it have something to do with yesterday?"

"No, of course not."

"Then, what? You're… you're scaring me…"

"I'm not trying to… for now, everything's okay, don't worry. It should be like this for a little longer. I just want things to be normal…" He smiled while looking down at his hands. She couldn't grasp what he meant, but maybe it was his weak way of comforting her. Still, she felt he had told her something important.

"You're not gonna betray me, are you?"

"Of course not. I've got your back remember? I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you before, though."

"Please, don't feel guilty…" Maybe that's why he was acting so strange?

"…Is it getting late? What time is it?"

"Its time for you to get a watch!" She tried to lighten the mood.

"…I don't have my watch anymore."

"…Oh. My bad. Did you lose it?"

"Yeah. It was a shabby old… pocket watch. I got it from someone sometime ago. Dammit…" He sighed. It seems he valued the watch quite a bit.

"Oh well, I guess… that means you just won't get to see the time tonight!"

"Right… So, is that it?"

"Eh?"

"I want to hear more. Surely you've got more stories up your sleeve, right?"

"Hell yeah I do!"

"Anything's fine."

She talked with Shinjiro about all kinds of things, later into the night.

She swallowed. "I like it when you're with just me. I like the others too, but its different with you. Thanks."

"F-for what? I didn't do anything."

"You did… you think I did things for you, but you've done things for me, too."

"Stop being weird, idiot. It doesn't matter… how you think I've helped you…"

Her head fell onto his shoulder.

They sat in the void they were grateful for, the time they were given. She seemed to nuzzle into his arm, and he kept his body firm, a pillar for her.

"You shouldn't be doing this."

"Then stop me." She suggested.

He didn't move, still.

He sighed. "Seriously…" She pressed her face into him more as she reached her arms out and around his waist, they both adjusted a bit more, and he raised his arm up over her to wrap it around to her back.

"You should stop."

"You like it." She dared.

"It doesn't matter what I like…"

"So you _do_ like it…"

He groaned, but he didn't move away.

"At least I know its not because you're just feeling guilty. I want you to be happy, too."

"No you don't."

"What do you mean?"

"…Nothing…"

"Tell me what you meant!" She looked up at him and opened her mouth to say more—his face was a millimeter away from her own.

They leaned in closer and sealed the gap between them. He groaned in her mouth, and it made her want to get closer to him somehow—they pressed their mouths and lips into a deep kiss, encircling each other in their arms. He gently swung her onto his lap as he leaned over and they continued kissing. Slowly, largely at first, then they hold each other tight and the kisses became feverish and intense as their pace quickened. His large hands roamed lower, to her breast and her waist. She sat up again and moaned as he squeezed her flesh under her clothes, and he sunk down so she could straddle him and his back was laying on the couch. They kissed a few more times, and she couldn't figure out what to do next, but she didn't want to stop. He pushed her upward a little to catch his breath, and they looked at one another with a longing desire…

"You're blushing, sempai…" Her smile tilted to the side as she licked her bottom lip and gasped for air.

He was panting too, and then he coughed, only once—

He yanked her up off of him easily enough, and they were both sitting on the couch again. She waited for his heavy coughing to stop, feeling like her clothes were looser than usual, and her legs and back felt sweaty.

He sighed one final time, catching his breath.

"Are you good?"

"I don't think so…"

"Did you start coughing just so we'd stop?"

He reached for her cheek gently, clasping it so she was facing him. He kissed her one final time gently on the lips.

"No. But, you should go to bed and stop wasting your time like this…"

"I'll spend my time how I see fit…" She was tired. "Can I rest with you?"

"N-no way. Besides, I need to go take some medicine."

"I don't mind…"

"I know you don't." He shot up from the couch quickly. "Goodnight…"

She waved to him with a wide smile. He grinned back with a nod, then headed upstairs.

…She had made out with Shinjiro. Her heart was racing at the thought of it, and she had wanted more of it…

She fell asleep on the couch thinking about it.

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TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: A lot of filler happened here :0 let me know what you think! I actually wrote the p3p story a long time ago, but I added the attack part recently. I wasn't sure if it was ok or not but I wanted to include anything I had ever thought of for the story. I wanted Shinjiro to be more comforting after the event, but I also wanted her to be more independent too! I don't want to take up time on the event being trauma or anything, so there won't be much more talk of it.

Anyway, I'll try to update soon~!

 _Farewell, My Dearest~_


	22. Date 185: Waxing Crescent-GoodnightMoon2

A/N: And we're back! I don't have much to say here except its getting close to the end of that Moon Arcana social link-! You know what that means! Anyway, enjoy~

 **Date 18: Goodnight, Moon (2)**

She hadn't seen Shinjiro that morning, so all day at school she was thinking about what they had done. Was this the longing most girls her age had? It made sense why they would be so protective of their men and mean, now; she definitely liked the thought of Shinjiro being with only her, touching her and kissing her deeply as only they could. Still…

There was enough mystery stirring around the island for things to keep her busy: The two men that attacked her, the increase in the Lost, and mystery behind Tartarus and the Dark Hour itself. She felt she would have to be prepared for the next full moon… she couldn't think about just Shinjiro when everyone's lives were on the line. Still…

"How are you doing?" Akihiko asked her. It was afterschool and they were walking to the gyms.

"I, uh—good." She decided. "I am good, really. I'll be okay."

"That's a relief to here… you know, I'm here if you need anything."

It didn't sound as securing as Shinjiro's arms keeping her close and safe, his lips onto her own.

"Thanks!"

"By the way, the cops didn't want to make a scene, so Kurosawa texted me this morning. He said he needs you to come into the station, its important."

"Oh…"

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it's okay! I can manage. We should go to Tartarus before the moon, sempai."

"You're right. It's been a few days since we've trained. A lot has happened, though…"

"Thanks for the heads up! I'll see you later!" She darted he other direction. He watched her leave, feeling there was maybe something different about his precious friend, who he had become so concerned with. He had thought he wanted to comfort her, but for some reason he felt useless.

He hadn't been there when she was attacked. She couldn't rely on him for that moment in her life. Maybe that was why he felt ashamed.

She went to the Paulownia mall, and Kurosawa seemed to be the only one on duty in the small office.

"Hey, glad you could come in." He reached behind the glass desk for something, and pulled out a binder. "How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess. I keep telling myself its no different from fighting Shadows, but…"

"…But they invaded your safe space." He finished. Maybe, that was why she felt so paranoid. "I need to show you some graphic photos, to identify two suspects."

"Okay."

He didn't mention the photos were of two dead people.

The men were sprawled on the street, with their blood trailing to a sewer drain a few feet from them. One was a blonde with several shots in his chest, and the other was a dark haired man with one bloody hole right between his eyes.

"…That's them."

"You're one hundred percent on that?"

"Yes, sir." She had hoped to feel some relief, seeing the threat assassinated, but…

"Officer Kurosawa, I blacked out after I fended those two off…"

"Yes?"

"I, I couldn't have done this… could I have?"

He examined her pale face for a moment. "It's suspicious that after they attacked you, then they ended up dead on the streets, but this wasn't you."

"H-how can you be so sure?"

"Time of death happened while you were under surveillance in the hospital. I already checked."

She exhaled.

"You can relax, now. They won't be causing anymore trouble for you or your friends."

"But, who killed them, then?"

"Not sure yet, but it just looks like some gang violence. We see it all the time."

It was still unsettling… the convenience of their deaths. She was entranced by the photos until he snapped the binder shut.

"By the way, we've been getting money and rewards from the families of those missing folks you guys keep saving in the Dark Hour. It didn't feel right to keep it all for donations." He handed her an envelope, filled with dollars.

"Sir, I couldn't!"

"Take it, and split it with your team."

"T-thank you, sir… I guess, I'll get some updated weapons, if you have any; while I'm here."

"Sure. Anything else?"

She wanted to go back to the dorm so she could see him.

"Oh! Is there anything in your lost and found box?"

"Missing items? Now, that's more up my ally." He pulled out a few things, from clothes to a journal to—"This is really vintage. 'Haven't seen a watch like this in a while."

"An old pocket watch!" She exclaimed. "I don't believe it; it must be his!"

"Take it, it's yours. You can give it to him yourself."

"Yeah…" She smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm sure whoever it is will be more than happy to get it back."

.

That night, the SEES crew went to Tartarus. Ezi didn't see Shinjiro until they went to Tartarus, so she decided to wait to give him the pocket watch at a more appropriate time. Fuuka sensed there were three large Shadows on the next few floors they had to travel up to, so they went into two groups: Ezi, Ken, Mitsuru, and then Shinjiro, Akihiko, Junpei and Yukari. Aigis and Koromaru stayed this night to watch over Fuuka.

"There's a lot of table Shadows on our end," Akihiko announced.

"Maybe the large Shadow is a giant table, then!" Junpei guessed.

"Don't make assumptions. It could be three all new Shadows for all we know." Yukari warned.

Ezi's group fought Wondrous Magus's, Writhing Tiara's, and Regal Mothers as they ventured through the golden floors. They met up with the other group and prepared to fight the 3 shadows on the next floor.

"Stay cautious, we won't know what type of arcana they have until Fuuka scans them while they're in battle. I'll use a strike move to see if our weapons are effective on them, Yukari you use garula since it won't counter at you, and the same goes for Aki with your zio."

"What about my light skills? I could just summon Nemisis and-"

"We'll have to wait for Fuuka's analysis." She interrupted Ken. "If you use light too quickly and it counters, the attack will go back and hit you, and there's a fifty percent chance the light is fatal. You can also strike depending on its attack, but we'd rather fight it with what we can before it uses its strong abilities on us. Everyone ready?"

In the middle of the next floor were three samurai warriors. Ezi's flank surrounded their left side, and the others went to the back and the right. Ezi struck first, sliding behind the one closest to her and cutting through its armored body. Her weapon barely made a dent.

"Strike attacks are no good!" She declared. Akihiko had already summoned Polydueces to bring out ziodone on all three of them, but the lightning attack countered, and struck Aki instead. He went rolling but scrambled back onto his feet.

"Sempai, are you okay?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah, but zio is out. Use your garula attack!"

Yukari summoned her persona and used the ability, but the attack did not work.

"What the hell?" Shinjiro yelled, frustrated.

"Agi!" Ezi summoned Orpheus, but the samurai actually moved out of the way of the fire strike.

"I finished the analysis!" Fuuka declared. "They're called Hakurou Musha, and its weakness' are light and darkness, that's it!"

"Great, but how do we strike it with light with that armor on?" Ken asked.

Ezi realized she'd have to do the attack secretly, so that the Shadows would not see the light coming… but how? They were like actual samurai, skilled and with agility.

Mitsuru yelled in frustration when she whacked one of the attacking shadows away with her rapier. "Hold your ground, keep countering their strikes until we can hit them properly!"

Ezi stepped back looked into her bag. All she had was accessories and armor, nothing to make them slow down or increase the rate of her light attacks…

The battle panties.

What had Theo said about them?

"Look out!" Ken called out to her, but she had already sensed the samurai running towards her, so she twirled around and away from the fight, running back towards the stairs.

"Where the hell are you going?" Shinjiro yelled.

"I have an idea! Do what Mitsuru said, I'll be right back!"

They ducked and dodged, and Shinjiro even used a hama stone to throw, but the samurai simply spun away as the air was temporarily lit up.

"Their only weakness is light and darkness, so these Hakurou Musha have learned to avoid only that attack." Fuuka realized. "There armor is impenetrable if they can see you coming so they can block with it!"

When Ezi appeared, she had her weapon in hand… wearing the scantily-clad boots, plated bra, and underwear.

"What the-?" Yukari was the first to see her new armor.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this…_ "This had better damn well work!" She declared, in a refined battle position.

"Leon-san?" Mitsuru had a moment to look at her inappropriate attire.

"Whoa!" Junpei yelled. "Nice, but is this really the time-?"

Ezi disappeared.

"Where'd she go—Ah!" Yukari moved to the side as one the Musha had tried to slice her with a blade.

"Stay focused!" Akihiko chided, punching one of the Musha's sides. It barely pierced its armor.

Suddenly, Ezi's Persona Power was hovering above the three Shadows—it was a red armored angel with grey wings and spear. It flapped its wings and summoned Mahama, a triple light attack that was summoned under the Shadows unknowingly, and the light cut between the open spots of their uniforms. All that remained was a pile of armor.

"Good job, everyone!" Fuuka declared.

Ezi appeared again, beside Yukari, who jumped away at her sudden appearance.

"Whoa! How did you-?"

"Um… what's with the slutty outfit? Not that I'm complaining…" Junpei's face was red, and none of the boys were looking in her direction.

Ezi couldn't look at them. "S-sorry, I got this armor from the police station. Apparently it reflects light so you almost turn invisible. I knew I could use it to attack them, if they didn't see me."

"Well, it was more useful than it looks…" Yukari tried to defend.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna go put my normal clothes back on…"

"What's your hurry? There might be more like that on the next few floors!" Junpei said.

Ezi glowered at him.

"Actually, he's not wrong! I'm sensing five on the next floor!" Fuuka proclaimed.  
"You gotta be kidding me…"

"M-maybe we could find some other way to fight them?"

A light bulb. "I have some more! Yukari, Mitsuru, you gotta put them on!"

"What?"

"I'm not wearing that!" Yukari argued.

"Come on, ladies… its for a good cause."

"Shut up, Junpei!" They said in unison.

"S-should we just leave it to you guys, then?" Akihiko asked.

"Idiot, what if they need backup?" Shinjiro chided.

"Oh, right."

Ezi grabbed the other ones from the supplies she kept in the Velvet Room, and the girls changed on the first floor before they went back up. Yukari and Mitsuru had on the revealing battle panties; Yukari's was red and silver, and Mitsuru's was yellow and purple.

"Uh… you look great?"

"Don't make it worse than it needs to be, sempai." Yukari replied. The three boys were all blushing uncontrollably.

"It's so breezy…" Mitsuru admitted.

"I'm cold! Let's just get this over with!" Yukari led the girls to the next Hakrou Mushas. "Charge!"

The elegant woman used their camouflage to go behind and sides of the Musha. The boys helped to distract them, and then the girls were able to sneak around and use their weapons and hama stones to charm and defeat each one.

"Oh yeah, we bad." Ezi said when the area was clear. "Hot squad kicking Shadow ass!"

"I was worried you'd be a bit fragile with everything that's happened…" Mitsuru admitted. "I'm glad you're okay."

"That was kind of cool. I just wish we didn't have to look like this…" Admitted Yukari

"Its sort of hard to run in…" Mitsuru agreed.

The boys watched them talk about the armor more than they needed to, but none of them had any complaints…  
"I'm in heaven…"

"This is so wrong." Akihiko said, but he didn't stop looking.

Ken was turned away. "Guys!"

"Sempai, which one looks smokin' to you?"

"You already know…" He blushed.

"Well, what about you, Shinjiro-sempai?"

"Uh…" He turned his head. "Ladies, we should move out."

"Oh, thanks sempai." Yukari said. Ezi wondered what Shinjiro was thinking as he looked away. They all went to the teleport and the girls changed quickly before they went back to the dorm.

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The next morning, Junpei walked in with Ezi to the school.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Good, perv."

"Hey, you put those clothes on, not me! Besides, nothing wrong with looking…"

"I guess. Anyway, I feel good!"

"Yeah? That's good to hear. I was worried about you since…"

"I know. I'm okay, thanks for worrying, but I really am pushing to the future."

"Yeah! Let's OWN that next Shadow and make the world a better place, huh?"

"Agreed! I've seen so many lost people walking around. We gotta stop it!"

Ezi went to practice after the day was nearly over, and Rio seemed livelier than usual, happy. She felt the same way. She showered in the locker rooms at school, then went back to the dorm.

"Hey!" Akihiko greeted her. The others were hanging out, studying, minding their own business.

"Sunday is the day."

"Yeah! It seems like its been forever since the last Shadow fight."

"You can count me in!" Junpei declared.

"Did Iori actually sound serious for once?" Mitsuru was teasing.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He was startled at the notion that Mitsuru could joke.

"Shinjirooo," Ezi sang as she walked into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, looking at his phone.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, smiling sadly.

She held up the old pocket watch, "this isn't yours, is it?"

"Hey…that's..!" He swiped the pocket watch from her and examined it for a long moment.

"I told you I'd give you a good gift!"

"I don't believe this… Come with me, okay?"

"Oh, right now?" She looked into the lounge, it made her wonder what they'd think if they left together.

"Okay."

"Oh, thanks." He walked passed her quickly, and she followed him as they exited the dorm in a fast motion.

Fuuka and Yukari exchanged glances.

"Do you think they..?"

"Ezi's always so focused, but…" she and Fuuka continued to whisper, and Akihiko had noticed them leave too.

.

Ezi looked out to see the stars and cool night.

"Let's talk somewhere more private." Shinjiro said, and they walked for a few minutes in silence to the Naganaki Shrine. The cold night air was already starting bite at Ezi's bare legs. A Lost passed by them but they ignored it. They sat on the steps of the playground jungle gym, with no one else seeming to be around.

"Tell me where you got this."

"The police station, same time I got that panty armor. I just asked Kurosawa if they had anything in the lost and found after you told me you lost it." She decided not to talk about the two dead men.

"Oh, I see." He toyed with the watch as he spoke. "I thought I'd be fine if I never saw this again, but I never imagined that you of all people would bring it back to me."

"Is it really so strange?" She chuckled.

"It is." He said seriously. He began yanking through his pockets. "This isn't really to pay you back, but I want you to have this…" He pulled out a nice leather watch and handed it to her.

"Shinjiro…" She could tell by the sleek design and the quality of it that it was expensive.

"I thought it'd look good on you."

"Thank you very much."

"Yeah…" Even in the cold night, she could see his cheeks radiating heat.

"Why a watch, though?"

"Because it… keeps track of time. This was all I could think of." He smiled wryly. She recalled Pharos mentioning something important about time to her before. He looked down at his feet for a long time, and they said nothing.

"…Look after Aki." He said finally.

"Huh?"

"I mean, you know he's an idiot… You remember that story I told you about our first fight?"

"Yeah."

"It was because… I stole a doll from the toy store."

"Oh…I might punch you too if you did that."

"It wasn't for me! Aki's sister couldn't make friends, so I stole it for her… I thought it'd make her happy. Aki found out about it, and he beat the crap out of me, he was crying the whole time too. Afterwards, we both went back to the store to return it and apologize to the owner. The toy store's owner smacked us both... He hasn't changed since back then. He's stupid, honest, proud, kind and a cry baby."

"Yeah, that's true,"

"…That's why someone needs to be by his side."

She looked at him, then. "What are you saying? Like, to protect him?"

"Well, yeah… sort of. Someone should be taking care of him."

"We'll stick with him to make sure he continues doing great!"

"I'm not worried at all, cause I know you're gonna be with him."

"What about you, sempai?"

"Uh, of course. I'll be with him too."

"No, I mean, what about you? Who is going to be by your side?" She looked up to see him staring back at her. His eyes weren't near as intense as they had been when they had met. In fact, they made him appear longing for something, a yearning for a simple resolution, perhaps. It seemed like forever, an endless void of intoxication and sobriety between them.

"…The wind's starting to pick up. I kind of want to stay a little longer." He admitted.

"Me too. It's so beautiful out here…"

"But, aren't you cold?"

She was only wearing her uniform without the jacket and a skirt, they had left the dorm so quickly, she hadn't thought about wearing extra layers.

"No… your cheeks are so warm, I get a good heat wave every second or so." Despite her jokes, she rubbed either of her shoulders up and down.

He laughed quietly, already opening up his jacket. "Hey, you're gonna catch something. C'mere." When he stretched his arms out, Ezi fell under his jacket and left arm, leaning against him, right where she wanted to be.

He laughed more, wrapping his arm around her. She kept her head rested on his chest and he leaned his head gently on top of hers.

"I feel safe with you." She whispered, unsure if he'd heard her. They had an aimless conversation all into the night…

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Ezi's head hurt. She wondered how her pillow had become a cold, black surface. Her legs were freezing, but her upper body and face were being warmed by whatever she was being covered with; certainly nothing long enough to be a blanket.

"What the hell?"

She shot up, hearing an old man's voice resonating with the birds and nature around her. Shinjiro woke up, too…

"You damn kids! Hooligans! Get off of there! That's a child's playground for heaven's sake!" The elder citizen was scolding them for lying down on the playground castle. She hadn't remembered falling asleep for a moment. They both scrambled up onto their feet; Shinjiro hopped down the stairs and Ezi took the slide. They darted away from the shrine and hurried down the road. They ran until they turned the corner and were in front of a store that hadn't opened yet. Catching their breaths, they turned to each other and began laughing.

"Did we… fall asleep there? Really?" Ezi recollected.

"I thought it'd get too cold for us outside… but I guess not." He began placing his hat back on his head. Ezi handed him his jacket, and she realized she was still in her uniform from last night.

"Oh my gosh! What time is it?" They both reached for their phones, and Ezi freaked. "I'm gonna be late for class!"

"So?"

Unexpectedly, she kissed him on the cheek.

"I-Idiot!" He snapped. His face was red.

"Are you going to class?" She asked, as if her actions were normal.

"What? N-no, I don't think so."

"Okay, then I'll see you later today. Thank you, sempai!" She waved at him, seeing the new watch on her wrist, and then darted towards the train station.

At the school, the bell was ringing when she ran through the front gates. She had spent her time on the train dusting off her white uniform and straightening her skirt and fixing her hair. Looking decent, she scudded through the halls towards her class. Being in student council, she knew where all of the hall monitors would be, so she slinked by when their backs were turned. She crept passed one of the council volunteers, and walked backwards away to make sure he didn't see her before she reached her class door.

"Ezi-san?"

"Eek!" Hidetoshi was standing in front of her classroom.

"I didn't know you were doing monitor work today."

"Uhh, yeah!"

"Are you on the list?"

"Yes? Well, no, unfortunately… I, uh, had thought I had been on the list, so I just left class to go check… I didn't want to seem like I was shucking my responsibilities!"

"Oh, how keen of you," He said, grinning, "well, don't waste another moment outside of class, then."

"Yes! Education is relevant, after all."

He raised his brows, as if observing what she had just said.

"Yes, I suppose it is…"

Upon strolling in late, Ms. Toriumi addressed her tardiness in order to embarrass her, but she could have cared less.

"A student of your caliber should have more decency to get to class on time,"

She didn't see the big deal. It was probably the first time she had ever been late to her class.

"Yes, Ms. Toriumi…" She sat quietly at her desk.

"Yo, what gives?" Junpei whispered. She shrugged her shoulders in response.

The morning felt like a blur. She seemed to be sitting with her dorm mates at lunch, now.

"Hey, what gives?" He said again. He and Yukari were sitting across from her, as if they were about to discipline their child.

"Yeah, I was gonna walk with you to school but you had already left… then you showed up late?" Yukari questioned.

"Yeah, I messed up." She chuckled. "I thought I could go the store for some supplies for our basketball party we're having today after school, but the store was really busy, and I lost track of time."

"Oh, that's lame. I thought something happened to you!" exclaimed Junpei. "Well, the next moon is almost here! Dude, I'm so psyched to take this one out!"

"Yeah, after this one there won't be many more left." Yukari seemed to muse.

"It is amazing! I can't believe how long it's been since our first one, and we have so many more people on our team now."

"Yeah… I was worried about some of them, like Ken because he was too young, and Shinji because, well… he's Shinjiro-sempai; but, this SEES team has kicked more ass than Retroman!" Declared Ezi.

"I'll try to pretend I didn't hear that. "Yukari teased. As they blabbered on about their classes and life, Ezi's mind continually wandered to the night before. They had been so immersed in their time together, they had fallen asleep at the shrine. They hadn't been doing anything scandalous; simple talking and cuddling. Even so… she wish she could go back in time. She wanted it to be dark again, and she wanted to be isolated with him in a place they would not be bothered.

Time seemed to slow down the rest of the day. Every class that was an hour felt like two, and the things they were learning didn't seem to matter as much as they used to. At practice, the girls had a small party after they did intense training and shooting drills.

"This is what we should be doing after every practice!" Yuko declared. The girls were nibbling their rice balls and sipping their fruit punch.

"Ezi-san," Rio said quietly to her, "I'm going to talk more with Kenji after this."

"That's great, Rio."

"I really want to thank you. I would not have told him my true feelings if you hadn't encouraged me."

"About that… I guess it's harder to actually do it than to just say it, huh?"

"Yeah, but, I feel better."

"H-how did you feel, by the way? Just before you asked Kenji."

"Well, I was scared, certainly. I mean, he might reject me still, and it could ruin our friendship…"

"But?"

"But, I can't imagine going through my days without having been honest with him. I was a mess, as you know, never knowing what he was thinking, before my confession. I may have gone crazy, but it was completely worth it."

"Hm, that's good to know…"

"Well, you already know, right, Ezi-san?"

"Huh?"

"Well, it's none of my business, but I thought you had already been in a relationship before. You sounded like you knew what you were talking about when you told me to just go for it… I'm glad I didn't wait any longer."

"I…I'm just thick headed, that's all. Maybe I say things out loud I shouldn't, but also very defensive of people. I'm like you, so I'm afraid of getting rejected, too."

"Well, you're a sweet and great friend. I'm sure you'll find somebody you can open up to!"

"Thanks, Rio-san."

…She knew he liked her, and vise versa, right? They didn't have to use words to confirm it…

No. Even she knew that was an excuse. She had to know, for certain, or it would have meant she couldn't fully embrace their relationship; or, whatever they were in. She didn't have time to wonder, with her school clubs and being the leader for the dark hour missions, and of course, finding out what she was missing from her memories.

Her memories. As she walked back to the dorm, she thought about how she hadn't been trying very hard to locate her memories, especially since Shinjiro arrived; he filled up all of her thoughts.

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They went to Tartarus that night. Thankfully, there were no Musha. There was a large Knight that Akihiko and Shinjiro worked together to defeat, and Ken and Aigis found a missing person.

"Uh… guys?" Fuuka said suddenly.

"What is it?"

"I'm sensing a Shadow, but… it's different somehow. It looks sort of big, but there's only one. It's aura is different."

"Are you certain it's a Shadow?" Mitsuru asked.

"To be honest, no…"

This spiked everyone's attention. They ventured to the area where the strange anomaly presented itself, and saw it, flying in the air: It was a creature with a muscular human body, with a hole that was heart shaped on its chest. Its body was black, and it had horns on its head and bat-like wings and a long blue sword in hand.

"What is-?"

"It looks like a Shadow…" Ezi analyzed. "But, it's…not… it has no heart…"

"What does that matter? Let's take it out now!" Junpei declared. He jumped up to swing his sword at the thing, but it simply flew away from his avoidable attack. Next, Yukari shot her arrow, which, her aim was rather improving, but it was fast enough to fly away. Then, Ken summoned Nemisis to use light on it, but the light repelled, easily. Akihiko, Shinjiro, and Mitsuru tried to use their persona's as well, but the mysterious creature was too fast for them.

"This thing can't be a Shadow," Mitsuru said, "it moves faster than Shadows do."

Ezi pulled out her evoker, and to everyone's surprise, the creature had vanished, but it's sword was impaled in the ground.

"Where'd it-?"

Ezi screamed. Everyone turned to see her sliding back on the ground, facing where she had just been attacked by the creature.

"It can teleport?" Yukari guessed.

"Are you okay, Leon-san?" Mitsuru asked.

Ezi stood straight back up, her eyes furrowed. The thing had caused her to drop her Naginata when it had hit her. "Damn Shadow, I'll teach you!"

"Stay back, we don't what this thing is capable of yet!" Mitsuru declared.

"I can't read its arcana," Fuuka explained "I don't even know if it has one…"

"I don't even think this is a Shadow." Ken decided.

'Well, what the hell do we do? Our attacks can't reach it." Shinjiro pointed out.

"Whatever it is…" Ezi's eyes widened as she watched it dance through the air, suddenly the roof was gone and she was staring at the creature. It was soaring through the dark sky, and the arena they were in was surrounded by torches. She was crouched down with her weapon and was about to fight it to win something.

She had fought this thing before.

It dove down with the point of its sword forward to strike her.

"Ezi-!"

She had jumped high into the air to avoid the attack, beside the wall. She jumped off of it and plunged spear first into it's back, and it vanished in a black smoke of defeat.

"Whoa, that was badass, Ezi!" Junpei declared.

She yanked her spear out of the ground. "What was that thing..?"

"Your nose!" Yukari yelled.

Ezi felt the droplets of blood pouring off of her cheek.

"Oh, I guess it hit me harder in the face than I thought! No worries!"

"Dude, that's gross!" Junpei declared. He yanked her by her shoulders and back to pull her head up. "Tilt your head back-OW!"

She had punched him in the arm. "No way! Don't you know you can get a blood clot doing that?"

"She's right you know, Junpei, even I knew that." Ken stated.

"Well excuse me for trying to help!"

"I-I'll get you some stuff from the first aid!" Yukari threw her bag down and pulled out the kit.

"Hey…" Akihiko approached. "Are you really okay?"

"You idiot," Shinjiro said. "Why'd you let that thing hit you?"

"Because I crave the bloody noses." She replied, joking. Yukari helped her plug up her nose and clean up her face.

"Yamagishi-san, is there any sign of a creature like this nearby?"

"No, the rest of the floor is clear. You should be safe, but I'll double check!"

"Did you see our leader, do a sick trick to stab that thing in the back? That totally rocked!"

"Thanks, dude. But I must say, Ken's twirl strike on those three shadows at once was super sick."

"Oh… w-why thank you, Ezi-san. I really liked how you punched down two Shadows at once, Akihiko-sempai."

"Yeah… and Yukari, you did well on that defense against the table shadow, I noticed."

"Thanks, I've been trying to practice how to defend and practice my aim too."

"It seems you all did very well today," Mitsuru decided, "once you're finished with Leon-san, we should head back."

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Her mind wandered as she walked home from school. Mainly, about that weird monster they had seen in Tartarus… Maybe it had something to do with the man in the black hoodie from before?

Then, her mind mused of the boy she had grown close to recently.

She didn't want to push Shinjiro away. She would have to confirm their feelings, than she could focus on getting her memories back again. There were a lot of things that needed to be cleared up, like his strange requests of her, but that would have to be for another night.

She was throwing her fists into the air, stepping up and down the stairs, pumped with adrenaline. It was dark out, but the sidewalk light shone on the entrance into the dorm. She stopped walking when she saw a young man with apathy syndrome stalk lazily down the road, as if he were drunk, or a zombie. She watched him curiously, trying to understand the origins of his circumstance.

"Hey."

She spun around. When had Akihiko appeared?

"Yo, you scared me."

"What were you doing?"

"Oh, I was… working out, sort of. Since we won't be exerting our energy at Tartarus tonight."

"Yeah. Mitsuru and I both agreed it wouldn't be good to go exploring the night before a big Shadow fight."

"Uh-huh…"

"…Um, are you okay?"

"Me?" She pressed her hand against her chest. "I think so. I mean, since I last checked, I think I'm alright… What about you?"

"Yes! Of course. I'm alright, if you are."

"Yep! Let's go inside, it's sort of cold out here." She nudged Akihiko into the dorm, where the others resided. Junpei and Ken were playing an actual video game on the television, Yukari and Fuuka had music playing on the laptop at the coffee table and couches, and Mitsuru was sitting next to them, reading a book for English class… as if the loud music wasn't on at all.

"It's a freaken zoo in here!" She yelled.

"Oh, hey," Yukari said, "We're trying out songs for the Halloween dance."

"That's not for another month!"

"Yeah, but we may get busy with other things before then. Mitsuru said we could help!"

"Okay, okay…"

"Um, Ezi?"

"Yeah, Akihiko-sempai?"

"…Uh, n-never mind. You guys should all be getting rest soon."

"I agree, we need you all prepared for tomorrow." Mitsuru licked her thumb in order to flip a page of her book accordingly.

"I'm off to snooze-ville! Just as soon as I kick this kids butt in Immortal Battling 5!"

"I do think you're taking this game a bit too seriously, Iori-san." Ken noticed.

Yukari watched them play the game for a moment. "It's hard to tell who's older from their maturity levels."

Ezi decided to escape the noise by retreating to the kitchen, before she would go upstairs to see Shinjiro. But, he was already there, leaning against the wall of the doorway.

"Oh, I was looking for you!" She said. For once in her life, her palms may have actually been sweating. The time to prepare was over.

"You… I feel much better after our talk the other night."

"Me too."

"…Shouldn't you be with the others before the big night? There's nothing I can do for you right now."

"I want to be with you, though."

"You're wasting your time, then. Really, you should just go."

"Don't start giving me the cold shoulder now, Aragaki!" She scolded. "Besides, you're the quieter company I prefer."

"It is loud, isn't it?" He sighed as he sat at the table. "I should just go upstairs."

"But, you're hanging out with me now!" She beamed at him from across the dining table, and they just stared. She began kicking her feet in the air, like an excited child in a booster seat.

He glowered, not amused. "You can stare at me like that all day. I got nothing for you."

"I don't really want anything."

"Haven't you wasted enough time on me? What more do you want?"

"Well…" This was it. She had to say her feelings now. She was never one to be so pushy about the circumstances of affection and dating, but she was that way in other areas of her life, and she was comfortable with him; so why couldn't she be herself when it came to this? Now the question was: in what brilliant way would she confess?

"I love you."

"Huh?" It was warm in the room, suddenly, when his cheeks flushed.

"Um…D-don't tease me like that!"

"You don't believe me? You really think I'd joke about something like that?"

"That's not it…" He couldn't look at her. "I mean, why just blurt out something like that? Here of all places!"

"Oh… then, let's go talk upstairs, privately, if you're embarrassed."

"What?"

"We could talk in your room! I haven't actually seen it, now that I think about it."

"You… You moron!" He was glaring at the wall to their right. He half covered his face with his hand. "I…I ain't a nice guy, I can't let you into my room." Her eyes widened at his honesty. "Don't you get it?"

She looked at him, even if he wouldn't look back. She would have to continue, she already confessed; back tracking would be redundant. "I know what I'm saying. I'm not as much of an idiot as you think."

"No way, not gonna happen. Look, you need to watch yourself, don't bother with someone like me."

"You always say that, sempai… But, I've already been with you enough times. Don't push me away because you're scared now! I still love you…"

"Would you stop saying that? Idiot…" He looked over at the kitchen doorway. The same noise was blaring, and no one seemed to be coming in.

"I'll go up first."

She grinned. "You better not lock me out!"

"I wouldn't dare." He stood up from the table and left for the higher floors. She kicked her feet up faster in her seat as the blood ran up to her cheeks. She smiled and put her had on the table, worried somebody might see her unusual comfort.

After a few minutes, she headed up the stairs, too. She was finally going to see his room, and be behind closed doors with him. She had indeed changed since she had arrived from the island. She would have never had butterflies in her stomach for some guy back then, and she if she had she would have ignored it, focusing only on the mission.

With everything that had happened, from fighting Shadows to fighting men who tried to sacrifice her, she had come to appreciate her friends and the good moments.

One thing was for certain, she wanted this to be a good memory too.

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TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: Sorry Akihiko fans! Shinji's gonna get it! Well, we'll see, anyway...

That odd thing they fought was NOT a Shadow, or some hidden boss fight from Persona. it's part of the crossover I mentioned before, but its not really relevant to the story except for the end twist chapter I'm inserting later on. Thanks for the reviews and follows! See you next time!

 _Farewell, my dearest~_


	23. Date 188: Waxing Crescent-GoodnightMoon3

A/N: Hey, thanks for sticking around so long ;)~ Sorry if any of my inserted parts have been jarring, but I couldn't write the story without my own events! This is the bulk in one of the major climaxes of the story! There is also some smutty smut in the beginning~ You have been warned!

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 **Date 18: Goodnight, Moon (3)**

"Come in." He let her into the room and he closed and locked his door behind her. She could see there was nothing there, just his bed in the corner and a seemingly empty desk.

"You really know how to liven up a place, huh?" She stared at the bed and desk a little longer, as if something else were going to happen to them.

"So? Happy now?" He asked, irritated.

"Not really, you didn't say anything about what I said downstairs."

"What?"

"About me loving you. Now you have free range to be honest too."

"Idiot… how can be so open about this? Why tonight?"

"I don't know…" She looked at him and grinned. "I guess I thought I could catch you off guard so we could come in here, even if you thought saying no would work."

They were both standing in front of each other. He covered his eyes again and groaned.

"You're always pushing me around all the time. You're just gonna ignore what I want, huh?"

"Yep! I am the leader, after all; I can pretty much do whatever I want." She stood up straight and proudly, with her nose up in the air. "Eek-!"

"Yeah? Well two can play that game."

Suddenly, she was against the door. He had lifted her up so easily and now his arms were underneath hers, keeping her entrapped between himself and the wall. In reaction, she tried pushing him away, but he was so strong, he barely budged.

His hot breath was above her, then suddenly, he hugged her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and keeping his face over her shoulder. She didn't say anything, but slowly put her arms up to his back as well. It felt like hours that they were hugging.

"This is your fault, you know. I'm all confused." He whispered. She decided not to say anything. "You're all I think about day and night. Damn it, this isn't how it's supposed to be!"

"Shinjiro-sempai…" He had the same feelings towards her. He seemed to squeeze her, which she didn't mind. He wasn't going to let go any time soon. He raised his head back so that he was looking down at her red face, and now she could barely look up at him. The idea of them, so soon—it occurred to her it was too soon, after all she had never—no, she couldn't compare him to anyone else. Shinjiro was Shinjiro, and nobody else; even so, all of her back talk and ordering around halted. She could only stare at his chest, as it rose and fell, listening to his soft breathing. How could he seem so calm right now?

"See? You're confused too, and I'm taking advantage of you."

"I'm, not, conf…" Was she confused? Being wrapped around his solid body made it difficult to process anything, but she knew one thing for certain: she didn't want to leave his embrace.

He let go of her and stepped back, putting his hands in his pockets.

"You get it now, right? Go back to your room."

She paused. "I…"

"If you don't go now, you won't get another chance."

She swallowed and turned around to face the door, reaching for the lock. Her hand stopped on it, and she looked at the golden knob for a long moment. The room was quiet, but her mind was screaming. Something told her, it had to be now. They had come this far; the thought of doing this with anyone else would be skeptical, even in her own mind; but she had always known what she wanted with him.

She locked the door and turned to face him. She could see he had been frowning at the floor, as if he were disappointed; then, his eyes shot up to hers, filled with hope.

"I'm not going anywhere."

He grumbled.

"That's right! You thought it'd be that easy to kick me out? Shinjiro, if I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't have come this far. So whether you like it or not, I'm staying!"

"Tch, you're a real piece of work, you know that?" He approached her, slowly. "I'm gonna make myself clear…"

"Okay?" She didn't realize she'd been stepping back until her back was on the door again, and he pinned her against the wall with his own body.

"I ain't holding back anymore."

"I-it's about time…" He lifted her chin up gently and smashed his lips into hers. He grabbed her by the waist, keeping her in place as they kissed. She squeezed his arms as his kisses began trailing down her neck. He ripped off her uniform and the buttons went flying—

she slid his hat off, messaging the back of his head as she gasped for air while he kissed down to her chest. His hand trailed down her thighs, to between her legs, and he began rubbing up and down between her wet, small mound. She gasped out more at the sensation of it, how his body being so rock hard compared to his gentle touch. His rubbing sped up, and she began moaning. His mouth went back up to hers and they kissed passionately for a moment longer, gasping every few moments for air, then continuing on. She unbuttoned his maroon jacket, then yanked on his grey turtle neck shirt, and he threw it off quickly. She took off the rest of her uniform top, and he lifted her up as they continued kissing. He dropped her onto his bed, and lay between her legs. She kept her arms wrapped around his back as he'd squeeze on of her breast, and continue his rough kisses.

She trailed her fingers down from his pectorals; he wasn't showing a complete six pack, but he was obviously bulked and in shape. She reached down into his pants, and he groaned loudly in her ear as she slowly began stroking.

"Wait! Do you have a-?"

"Yeah." He said. He unzipped his pants quickly and kicked them off, then, he went for her skirt. He pulled them down, slowly, because as he did, he began kissing her stomach. She grabbed onto his head and moaned as he licked her belly. Then, he yanked off her underwear— He took the protection out and rolled it on.

She was already wet, but he slowly sank it in, and she squealed out as she tried to accommodate him. He began thrusting faster and faster.

"Ah—"

He pinned her arms down as they grinded, he'd slow down, and at those moments, they'd kiss gently, then, he'd pick up the pace. They were drenched in sweat, smiling and making uncomfortable noises to anyone who could have heard them. She tried not to scream out, and he'd cover her mouth with his, moaning into hers, to keep the noise to a minimum. Finally, she could feel the sensation building up, until she finally climaxed, her explosion making it easier for him to push in deeper.

He raised her legs up onto his broad shoulders, and began pumping hard, until he also came. They squeezed each other one final time when their passion was reached, and he collapsed above her. She continued kissing his shoulder, and he kissed her neck a few more times while they let the wet and sweat trickle between themselves and the sheets.

They kept their bodies tangled together, even after he rolled off.

"I… wow…" She said.

They both giggled, like they were children that had escaped an angry mothers wrath. It had finally been done. She curled into his arms and they lay in perfect intimacy catching their breath, until they both passed out.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Ah, she hadn't expected this.

It wasn't the first night she had awoken outside of her bedroom, and this time, she wasn't near as worried about it. Shinjiro was sleeping soundly beside her, and they were still nuzzled under the sheets in his bed. She kept her hand over his chest, watching him breathe, smelling what she had come to know to be his smell, relaxing. She was happy with her decision, no doubt… she was more than ready to be with him all day long…

 _KNOCK. KNOCK._

"Shinji? Get up and unlock this door, we need to talk."

 _Holy shit!_ They both shot up from their resting place. Ezi kept herself covered as she ran to grab her clothes on the floor.

"Hide behind the bed, hurry!" Shinjiro whispered.

"Shinji? What are you doing?" Akihiko banged on the door more.

"C-coming!" He called back. He quickly threw on his boxers. When he felt certain they had hid her well, he went to his door, and he began coughing, almost out of control.

He opened the door. "Hey, are you okay?" Akihiko asked. "It's those pills you've been taking, isn't it?"

Pills? Ezi thought. She covered her mouth, trying to conceal her breathing as much as possible.

"It's nothing, I'm fine. What do you want anyway? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep in?"

"No, we need to talk."

"Well, can't it wait? You woke me up out of dead sleep."

That part was true. Maybe he could scoot Akihiko away for a moment so she could escape.

"No, I wanted to talk privately… before I went to school."

"You're going to school? But its Sunday..."

"I know, I forgot something there I needed to grab… c-could you open the windows? It's creepy and dark in here."

"Fine." Shinjiro went to the window, and Akihiko sat at his desk. Shinjiro sighed in annoyance and sat on his bed so he was facing Akihiko.

Akihiko looked down at his boxers and began chuckling. "I guess I woke you up while you were having a good dream."

"What? You've never had morning wood before? Give me a break."

"You're right, sorry."

"What do you want?"

"A couple of things… the first, being your health. Shinji, I'm not completely dull, I know you're getting worse…"

"It's just the side effects. I'm taking the pills less and less, but…"

"But then you can't control your Persona, right?"

"…I haven't had any problems with Castor since coming back. Look, can we talk about this another time-?"

"No, we can talk about it now!"

"Then, can we talk about it downstairs? I just don't feel comfortable-"

"You're running up with more excuses, is all." Akihiko said sternly. "I know I said I wouldn't baby you, but I'm worried…"

"You don't need to be worried. I'm fine. I really don't want to talk about this right now-"

"Ezi would be worried, too."

"…What? What the hell does that mean?"

"…You know what it means…"

She wondered if he knew she was there.

"Are you threatening to tell her?"

"No, I'm saying she… you guys have been…"

"What? Spit it out."

"You care about her too. Don't deny it."

"Aki…" He sighed, "….I wasn't going to. That is why you punched me yesterday, right?"

What? Ezi listened intently to their words in shock.

"You guys were out all night… what were you thinking?" Akihiko scolded.

"I was thinking I wanted to be with her. I don't see how that's any of your business."

"She reminds you of Miki, huh?"

"…Is this why you came in here? To lecture me about the past, and what I should and should not be doing with that girl?"

"I don't want this to get in the way of our friendship…"

"Then don't let it." He waited for a response, but Akihiko could only look at him. "…But, you care about her too, don't you? I saw it, when you guys were on the basketball court, and when you walk home together. She makes you happy."

"Of course I care about her… but, maybe more than just friends, I don't know… I got really angry thinking of you guys out together the other night."

"Tch, idiot, that's called jealousy. And we didn't do anything like _that_ when we went out."

Well, that was true too, Ezi thought. They hadn't had sex yet until just yester night…

"Still… does she, feel the same way about you?"

"Would it make you feel better if I said no?"

"Would that be the truth?"

More silence.

"…She's really stubborn. I told her to be by someone like your side, not mine…"

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"She made a mistake with me. She'll see that soon."

"Oh man," Akihiko sounded dumbfounded. "Whatever, I just came here to ask you if you were ready for the Shadow. If you're not taking your pills for your health, than will your Persona be alright?"

"Sheesh, first you beg me to join SEES again, and now you're worried I'll go berserk. If you don't want me fighting tonight, then fine, I won't."

"No, we could use your strength, I'm just—"

"Quit contradicting yourself! Just go. I can make those decisions on my own."

Akihiko stood from the chair. "Okay…" He walked to the door. "We're not done talking, Shinji."

"Whatever."

"I'm always gonna be worried about you… you'll always be my best friend. But, just so you know, I haven't given up on her, either."

"Well, maybe that's for her to decide, not us. Even though I'd rather she choose you, too."

"I'll see you tonight, then." He almost slammed Shinjiro's door behind him. Ezi stood up cautiously, covering her breasts, as if it hadn't been something he'd seen already, and she was glaring at him.

"You should get going too." He said, casually.

"Shinjiro, what was he talking about? You never told me you used to have a hard time controlling your Persona."

"Well, it's not a topic of conversation I enjoy-"

"Is that why you left SEES the first time? Is that why you're leaving again?"

He didn't answer, this time.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She started putting her clothes back on.

"What makes you think I'm leaving?"

"You want me to not cry? You want me to forgive you? To be by Akihiko's side, instead?" She was mockingly quoting what he had mentioned to her before.

"You should have just told me you were going to leave!"

"If it's that simple, than why are you angry?"

"Oh, I'm not angry," she pulled her skirt up onto her hips, "I'm furious! You're a jackass, a real class asshole!"

"…I know."

She stopped moving and looked at him some more. His eyes were so sullen and sober, ashamed.

He looked to her. "You deserve better."

"Shut-up! Just, shut-up, you fucking idiot! I don't want better, I want _you_!"

"It'll never work. I'm sorry."

"So, you thought you could screw the leader before you left, then? That's what all the intensity has been about, eh? Fuck the bitch then get out of dodge?"

"No!"

"Shut up! I'm so fucking stupid… Why did I think you would be different?"

"…I told you I wasn't a nice guy."

"Fuck you." She brushed by him and he tried to grab her arm, but she was able to slink out of his grip and push him with her palm correctly into his chest, enough to make him start coughing.

"Why are you leaving? Will you at least tell me that?"

"There are things… I need to take care of."

"Things?"

"…I can't say…"

"You know what? Your mysterious ways are starting to get real annoying! Fine! If you're gonna go, then go!" She pushed him again, against the desk. "Get the fuck out of here, now! If you're gonna bail, it might as well be now. We don't even need you for the Shadow tonight!"

This hadn't been the first time.

This wasn't the first time she'd felt betrayed.

"I was always gonna leave, but then you showed up and I…"

"Stop, please. I've wasted… enough time with you. Like you said. Sorry I didn't listen before."

She was holding it in, and it was blur until she reached her bedroom; she knelt down on the ground beside her bed cried. It was only a few long drops, but she sniffled and kept cursing and tried to compose herself as she got ready to go to school. She decided it would be wise to go out now, so she wouldn't be thinking about all of it.

…She had loved him? What a joke! He was just someone she had been crushing on…

No, she just felt humiliated that he hadn't felt the same way. Shinjiro was supposed to be there, as he was always was, but he was going to leave. He didn't even try to explain why.

The day was long, and they still had to fight a large Shadow. She would take her anger out during the mission.

…No, that wasn't good either. She couldn't risk going berserk during a mission. Even though it was a full moon that night, she went to the mall, updating her own weapons and checking for armor. Then, she went to Club Escapade as the sun went down. Thankfully, the monk was there, already drinking.

"It's your day off." She assumed, sitting across from him.

"Ah, welcome back! Actually, you shouldn't be in a place like this…"

"Mutatsu-san, why did you abandon your family?"

"Abandon? That's a bit of a harsh word…"

"You used it before when you were totally drunk. So?"

He sighed. "I'm not even buzzed yet, kid…"

"What do you have to be ashamed of when it comes to me? Who am I gonna blabber it to? Didn't you love them?"

"You got a point… okay. I think it would be safe to say I did love them, but I was too filled with regrets. My own cowardly way pushed me away from them, because I thought it would be easier. Now, I'm here… still sulking."

"I have a friend… I guess he has no reason to be committed to me or our classmates, but he seemed to be trying to cement himself in our lives. Now, he's leaving."

"He's probably in the same boat as me…" Mutatsu frowned. "You should probably talk to him, see what's holding him back."

"If your wife had tried to make you stay, would you have?"

"It ain't for him, its for you. Part of the reason you're upset is because you don't understand why he's leaving. Find out for yourself. It shouldn't matter what it is… he's probably gonna leave anyway, but to bring you some peace, finding out will do you good."

Even though she had been doing it herself, she didn't like Mutatsu comparing himself to Shinjiro. She left him to drink, and had hoped to see Shinjiro at the dorm just so she could ignore him and scowl. She wasn't ready to care about his affairs, and they still had a Shadow to fight.

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.

.

"I've located the target. Its in the plaza in front of Iwatodai Station!" Fuuka told her comrades. Ezi was with them in the dormitory command room before she knew it.

"This will be the 10th. Only a few left, but let's worry about them one at a time." Ikutsuki-san said.

"Assuming they come one at a time!" Yukari giggled. She was cheerier than usual for a mission. "Just kidding."

"Yukari-chan, how did you know? I sense two of them!"

"Are you serious? Me and my big mouth…"

"Where's Shinji?" Akihiko asked finally, and Ezi thought of how he probably left for good already, like she had yelled at him to do that morning.

"He just notified me that he'll meet up with us later." Fuuka said. "I didn't ask any questions."

…What? Maybe he was lying, so they wouldn't go look for him.

"Figures. He always plays by his own rules." Akihiko shrugged.

"It's okay." Junpei said. "At least he's coming, right?"

"We should move on." Ezi said quickly.

Yukari told Junpei to go fetch Ken, since he had messed up last time. They bustled to the Iwatodai strip mall, using the train tracks and the roads to get there. Junpei followed behind, and everyone heard a terrible scream ascending over the strip mall stores.

"Where's Amada?" Mitsuru asked.

"He wasn't in his room, so who knows." Junpei told them.

"He is fond of sempai, maybe he went to look for him?" Yukari suggested.

"Dammit, Shinji, where are you?" Akihiko grumbled.

"Yamagishi, stay back. We'll fight these two together." Mitsuru declared.

The Shadows came floating down to them, as if they had been waiting for their arrival. One of them looked like a giant woman with a skinny black body in a white dress and blue Shadow mask. She was holding a rose up in one hand towards the moon, and had an iron, pointy gate swirling around her; she stood on a bed of flowers. The other had no features, and resembled a clockwork wined up toy made of cogs and bronze material, shaped like flat sphinx with four legs and bird wings ticking up and down on its back.

Ezi struck the girl first with Orpheus, as the rounded Persona tackled against the iron gate that was possessed by the Shadow, and swiveled and curved at her every whim.

"They're Strength and Fortune arcana! Be careful!" Fuuka declared.

Yukari tried to shoot her bow and arrow, but the girl Shadow's petals whisked around into her direction, knocking Yukari back and out. Junpei went to comfort her, and then there was something golden and metal that was appearing through the veil of the green moonlight.

"What is that?" Mitsuru and the others watched the Fortune Shadow hop onto it: a round table that resembled roulette, with odd symbols as the wheel's options. It spun the wheel and it slowly stopped on a symbol with an explosion.

A wave of energy came form the Shadow and slammed into the street below, at the SEES team. Aigis and Koromaru had summoned their Persona's to shield everyone form the blast.

"Ezi, take out that wheel!" Akihiko commanded.

"R-right!" She summoned an angel Persona to whack at the wheel, but the Strength's petals appeared again, and whisked the angel away.

Damn! She was trying to think of what to summon next. Akihiko and Mitsuru summoned their Personas, and Polydeuces held the Shadow down while Penthesilea attempted to damage it and its flowers with some bufala ice magic. The gate around it swirled up, and knocked them away from her, and tried to do the same to Aigis. The robot had twirled and spun into the air so she could get a good shot at the Shadow, who whacked her away when she got too close.

The roulette rolled again, and it landed on a ghost;y blue figure, which struck down on everyone, but only seemed to effect Junpei. He fell down and crawled away.

"No! They're too strong!"

"That was a panic spell; damn!" Ezi summoned Orpheus again, but the Fortune Shadow hopped up and allowed itself to be hit so the roulette could keep spinning.

The Strength had managed to extend the iron gate around everyone. Ezi used Orpheus to block a bar from stabbing into Yukari as they became encircled, like they were in a birdcage.

"Ezi, hurry!" Akihiko snapped.

"I can't reach the Fortune while we're in here!" She said, frustrated.

"We cannot use zio yet." Aigis realized. "We could all be shocked with these metal bars present. She summoned Palladion, and the Persona went crashing upwards, breaking the bars on the top of the gate.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru summoned hers again, and her Persona held the Strength down by the arms.

He screamed out as Polydeuces sent an impressive light of electricity down on the Shadow, sizzling it into red and black mush.

When the bars were clear, Ezi summoned Thor, the god from the heavens; in his golden armor, white cape and Viking like helmet, he spun like a twister at the Fortune Shadow, and slammed his hammer of lightning down on it; the massive shock buzzed and conked out the cogs of the Fortune, until it burst into rust.

Everyone took a minute to recover. Yukari awoke, and Junpei was getting his nerve back, while Aigis recharged herself for a moment.

"Good Job, everyone." Fuuka sounded relieved.

"Man, talk about exhausting. That was close…" Junpei commented.

"This time, Strega did not interfere." Aigis analyzed.

"It must be because we have Chidori. Anyway, I'm glad that went smoothly." Yukari said. "No one has a serious injuries, right?"

"The Chairman text me that he's leaving, now that the job is done. I guess he's not too concerned about Shinjiro's whereabouts." Fuuka told them. "I was so caught on the Shadows, I haven't been able to locate them yet…"

"We can try to search for them at the dorm." Mitsuru was out of breath, and there was a cut on her leg.

Everyone turned to leave the partially destroyed mall, except Akihiko.

"Akihiko? Let's go." Mitsuru ordered.

"Today is… October 4th…"

"Akihiko, are you listening?"

"And..?" Yukari asked.

"Just go back without me. I'm gonna go look for them for a while…"

"Sempai, you can't go by yourself…" Ezi didn't want to go, but Strega was still out there. "I'll go with you."

"No! Make sure everyone gets back safely!" He snapped, heading for the outskirts.

.

.

Meanwhile, in Tatsumi Port Island's back alley, Ken was standing in front of someone with his spear in hand.

"You came… I'm surprised you abandoned the operation. I guess you know, then, what happened two years ago, October 4th. My mom died, right here! They called it an accident, but it wasn't. I saw the whole thing… You murdered her!" He pointed his finger at the culprit.

.

The others were walking back to the dorm.

"I hope the others make it back soon." Fuuka said.

"October the 4th… of course!" Mitsuru gasped.

.

Ken clenched his fists. "Since then, it's been one bad thing after another. And all I get from people is sympathy, no matter where I go! Even from all of you! I even thought about killing myself… but I couldn't face mom like this. That's why I decided I had to find her killer, YOU!"

The man said nothing.

"You once said you wanted to forget the past; forget that day! I knew it was you when I overheard you and Akihiko talking. So, when I knew it was a full moon today, I just knew it was fate and I had to confront you! Today, mom is watching over me. I'll make you remember what you did to her! I'm gonna kill you!"

Shinjiro finally opened his eyes. He was ready.

"…Do it."

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.

The SEES team continued walking on.

"What's so special about October the fourth?" Junpei asked her.

"Although her death was officially listed as an accident to the public…We're the ones who killed Amada's mother."

Ezi gasped. She couldn't breathe again, as natural anxiety took over. Everything made sense now. It was why Akihiko and Shinjiro were so strange about Ken joining SEES.

"It was two years ago, when we were pursuing an unusual Shadow that had escaped into the city… We were in a residential area, near the outskirts by the Iwatodai station, and all we were thinking about was taking out the Shadow. Aragaki was still new, and he momentarily lost control of his power. There was a casualty: Amada's mother."

"Then to Ken-Kun, Shinjiro-sempai is…" Yukari just as pale as everyone else standing there.

"He volunteered to join, but now that I think about it, he must have known the whole time it was Aragaki that killed her."

"Find them…"

"Huh?"

We have to find them!" Ezi cried.

"I found them!" Fuuka proclaimed. "They're in Tatsumi Port Island! And, there's somebody else…"

"Is it Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked desperately.

"No… it's Strega!"

Mitsuru growled in frustration. "It never ends!" She was already darting down the sidewalk, with Ezi following fast behind her. How could she be so stupid, and think Shinjiro would actually miss a mission because of some petty fight? She wanted to apologize for being so angry- she wanted to forgive him for that, and for what he had done two years ago… she already had, even if she hadn't known. But, Ken may not be so forgiving. A little 12-year-old boy's hands seeking vengeance—

It wasn't a good situation at all.

.

.

"I won't stop you." Shinjiro insisted. Ken placed the blade of his spear to Shinjiro's chest. "You're right. I wanted to forget what happened. I even left the group and tried to suppress my power. But, nothing I did could ease the memory. And now, I find myself here: the last place I want to be. It's my fault. This is what I deserve. But, let me give you some warning."

"Warning?"

"If you decide to take my life, you'll end up like me. Remember that."

"Is that supposed to change my mind?"

"Even if you kill me, it won't satisfy you. You'll only feel regret, like I did."

"Shut up! That's a load of crap!"

"He's correct." A voice behind Ken emerged from the shadows of the alley. Takaya sauntered over, the man with the pale skin and long, greasy hair.

"There's no reason for him to feel regret." He continued. "The boy's mother was killed, so in return he must also kill. Is it not permissible to kill those who are themselves, killers?"

"That's right…" Ken agreed. "Even Ezi tried to when those guys attacked her… It must be okay…"

"What do you want?" Shinjiro demanded. "The capture of Chidori has posed a bit of a minor setback for us. We cannot simply ignore your meddling." He pulled out his gun.

"You bastard." Shinjiro said furiously. He stepped in front of Ken.

"Trying to protect your would-be murderer? What's the point? You'll die by him, or in time eventually."

"What does he mean?"

"Those pills are used to suppress his power… you've been taking them for quite sometime. You don't have much longer."

Shinjiro knew he was right, and agreed in silence.

"You're going to die, no matter what I do?" Ken screamed. "All this time, I've been waiting two years for nothing?"

"The way you die is not important. After all, you were planning on ending your life after you killed him, were you not, boy?"

Ken lowered his head, shaking.

"Ken, no…" Shinjiro tried to say. Takaya's gun clicked.

"Since you are both destined to perish, allow me to do the honors for you… A slight change in timing shouldn't matter too much."

"Go to hell!"

.

.

She had never run so quickly, she thought. She was out of breath, but she was still running. She ran passed Mitsuru, knowing exactly where to go.

"Leon, be cautious!" Mitsuru yelled, out of breath.

"Wait up!" Junpei yelled, but neither Mitsuru nor Ezi were stopping.

Fuuka could sense them, right? That meant they were both still alive, that meant Ken hadn't killed him, and they were both, maybe, just talking it out—

 **BANG**

The sound echoed across the Port Island Station, and into her heart. She knew what was happening, but she wasn't to the outskirts yet.

"No!"

 **BANG**

She was sprinting, even with no energy, her heavy legs had become light, her eyes were lighting up the dark alley around her.

"Shinji! _NO!"_ She heard Akihiko's voice. "Hang in there!"

"No, no no no!" She kept saying. "God, please no!" Shinjiro was on the floor on top of Ken, and Akihiko was lifting him up.

"Shinjiro!" Mitsuru cried.

"NO!" Maybe it was the lighting, maybe that's why he looked so red—

There was blood trickling between Akihiko's fingers from Shinjiro, onto the pavement. Ken had it all over the front of his shirt and vest. Everyone else was screaming out his name too.

"Sempai!" Yukari said.

"Shinjiro-sempai!" Junpei yelled.

"No…" Fuuka realized they were too late.

There wasn't any sign of Strega. The bastard must have retreated.

Ezi scraped her knees, sliding on the broken bottle glass and street, to sit on the opposite side of Shinjiro. He rolled his eyes up to look at Ken hovering over them.

"Ken… why the long face? Isn't this… what you wanted?"

"Pressure! We need pressure!" Ezi screamed. She placed her palms firmly on his wound.

Shinjiro continued. "Give yourself time… Let your anger, be your strength… C'mon Ken, you're just a kid, you got your whole life ahead of you… don't waste it…. Make it your own, okay?"

"But, I…I!" Ken couldn't even move his mouth. He looked down at him, horrified.

"…Aki, take care of 'im."

"I… I will." Aki's grip on Shinjiro seemed to tighten.

"I know you can do it… you have the best qualities of any other man I've ever met. Teach him well…."

He was saying all of these things, as if he were leaving? No… Just yesterday they had been here, and he was telling her to not feed the cat so she wouldn't be harmed.

He was supposed to make another meal for everyone.

"Don't cry…Ezi…" He said, suddenly. His grey, gentle eyes towards her, now.

"No, you can't! Please!" She couldn't help it. She was sobbing… the tears ran down her face like a loose faucet, falling onto Shinjiro's wound.

He seemed to give her his crooked smile. "I… you…"

She squeezed his hand, but he had no life to respond.

"This is… how it should be…"

He coughed violently.

"No! Shinjiro!"

He made two sharp gasps

"Shinji…" Akihiko cried.

He passed out.

Ken made a small whimper.

"Hospital! W-we have to get him to a hospital!" Fuuka stammered.

"Yes, let's waste no time-!" Mitsuru gasped. "It's the Dark Hour… until it ends, the doctor's will be…"

"No..!" Yukari cried. "Then is he not gonna make it?"

"He has to— I'll try the doctor at the Kirijo Group, but—"

 ** _"AHHHHH!"_**

Ken let out a ferocious shriek that echoed across the alley. Akihiko was in shock, staring at his friend's face. Ken began pounding his fists into the ground, and he kept on screaming.

There was blood all over her hands, and it was spreading on the ground underneath the body, sticking to her knees.

Yukari covered her own mouth and Junpei held her as she looked away.

"Not again…"

"Ezi?" She asked.

"Not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again—"

"Ezi…" Akihiko was crying and he looked at her, as he couldn't stare at Shinji anymore, then he started gurgling some kind of whimpering noise to hold in his cries.

"…not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again, not again…"

Ken fell on the ground, crying with motionless limbs; the sound of him mixed with the blood, mixed with Ezi's insane muttering, mixed with Akihiko's whimpers, gave everyone a shock they would never forget.

He looked like he was just asleep, that was the most disturbing part.

…He could wake up, and cook for them again, and fight with them again, and smile again…

But he never would.

The moon for the night faded forever in time. Shinjiro was gone. The Dark Hour ended.

 _"Please… don't go…"_

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TO BE CONTINUED

 _Farewell, my dearest ;(_


	24. Date 19: In All My Dreams I Drown

A/N: Hey! I was reading some reviews again. Thanks for taking the time to do that; I'm glad to hear you like the events I inserted so far. I wanted to keep it close to the original story, but I also wanted their to be more bonding, funny and dramatic interactions among the characters. Anyway, I gotta say, the first few times playing this game, it was really hard to keep going after Shinji is gone. But, with the knowledge of more twists and turns on the way, one must move forward!

This chapter is long but I decided not to break it up. It actually works well as one part all on its own; trying to conquer grief and regret. It has many inserts of my own in here, because unfortunately the game does lack some real emotional ties to Shinjiro after he is gunned down. Anyway, I hope you enjoy~

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 **Date 19: Waxing Gibbous—In All My Dreams I Drown**

Yukari Takeba and Fuuka Yamagishi walked silently to school. The sun was blaring, the fall leaves were gusting through the autumn breeze, and the students they passed were gossiping and chatting as usual.

It was another beautiful day.

"Hey," Junpei stalked behind them, slowly.

"'Morning," Yukari said weakly.

"It doesn't feel real, does it?"

"Yeah… I can't believe he's gone."

"H-he could wake up!" Fuuka insisted.

"But, we don't know that for certain, Fuuka." Answered Yukari.

"I haven't seen Ken since he took off last night." Junpei explained. "Akihiko and Ezi aren't going to school today either…"

"I know. We tried to wake Ezi up today," Yukari explained, "she was already up, looking out the window… she hadn't slept all night, and she was still covered in his blood. She hadn't changed yet."

"Oh dear… poor Ezi." Fuuka sounded shaky.

"Poor Ezi and poor Akihiko." Junpei said. "Shinji was his best friend… and I didn't know Ezi liked him. I knew she was falling for someone, but…"

"Do you think we lost her as a leader?" Fuuka asked.

"I hope not… But, she's really heartbroken, so I don't know how long it will be before she and Akihiko will recover…" Junpei shrugged.

Yukari sighed, trying to find the right words in this situation.

"We should all take a rest… last night was very tragic, and we still have more Shadows to prepare for, too…"

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Akihiko looked at the sign that read: No Visitors Allowed, and crept into the room anyway. He saw Shinjiro in the corner of the room on the bed, tied to all the breathing and IV machines. He himself wasn't even breathing, and the machines were pumping oxygen into him.

"Hey… how much longer are you gonna be asleep?" He asked. "…I had ramen for lunch. It tastes better when you're ditching class. You should invite me next time."

Shinjiro looked dead, not asleep, because there was no movement from him, not even when he spoke to him.

"Come on, say something! You're always like that, you're so stubborn…" He had told himself he was just going to talk to him, to motivate him to wake up, but seeing him like this… he knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"I was obsessed with power. I thought if I could become stronger, I could protect anyone…Shinji! Come on... you were there for me when I lost Miki, I don't know what I'll do if I lose you too! Shinji..!" He fell to his knees and rested his head on his bed, sobbing quietly.

"Don't leave me behind! You can hear me, can't you? Wake up!"

He sat there for a while. Akihiko's crying subsided, and he wiped the tears from his face and stood up. "I know… crying won't help anything, right? Shinji… You watch from here. I'll keep on fighting, for you, and for Miki… no matter what. I still have lots I need to do after all, right?" He smiled down at his friend. Even if he wasn't there, he knew he still had to do his best for him, and that gave him strength.

"Huh?" Akihiko's heart was pounding. Suddenly, he could see Polydueces in his sights, hovering above Shinjiro. A pure light filled his vision, and Polydueces had transformed!

"No way…" The name of Akihiko's new persona echoed into his heart. It had a black face, with white armor, and was holding an orb of light. "Are you… Caesar?"

The new Persona nodded, then it vanished.

"Okay, Shinjiro… I won't let you down!"

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That night, everyone met in the dormitory lounge, except for Ken.

"You all know the reason we're gathered here." Mitsuru said quietly. "We need to discuss how to deal with Amada. I already spoke with the chairman about it. Aigis, go bring him in."

"Understood." Aigis headed up the stairs.

"It's my fault…" Fuuka said. "When Shinjiro-sempai told me he'd be late, I thought it was strange, but I said nothing. If only I had listened to my intuition."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Fuuka." Yukari said.

"It's not your fault. If anyone should have realized, it should have been me." Mitsuru shook her head, and sunk it down.

"I knew this wasn't a game, but I never thought it'd end up like this…" Junpei added.

"You all need to stop dwelling on the past. Don't you remember what Shinji said?" Akihiko was standing up. "This is how it should be… He was… is… a hell of a guy… he even faced death head on. That's why, from this day forward, I'll face things head on too."

Ezi slowly looked up at him.

"That's cool, man." Junpei nodded approvingly.

"Sempai…" Yukari said solemnly.

"How? How can you not dwell just for a little bit?" Ezi was looking at Akihiko, and everyone looked at her. "What's the point of making all those memories if you're not even gonna look back on them?"

"It's not what he would want." He said, certainly.

"Not what he..?" She stood up, fist clenched. "You… really believe that? You think he made memories with us just so we could brush them off when we feel sad about them? Screw you!"

"Ezi!" Yukari was shocked.

"Leon-san, please…"

"No! How can you say that? Was all of it for nothing, then? I refuse to believe that I should just move on! Like he was never here! I can't get over it as easily as you can! These memories are all I have of him… I wouldn't trade them for the world!"

"Ezi…" Fuuka said sadly.

"That's not what I mean…" Akihiko seemed hesitant, as he lowered his eyes and folded his arms.

Aigis walked back down the stairs. "Allow me to report: Amada-san is not in his room. There are indications the window was pried open."

"What? We have to go find him!" Cried Fuuka.

"W-we should figure out what to do first," insisted Yukari.

"What? How can you be so calm? You of all people should know it feels to be in Ken's situation!"

Yukari gasped.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Calm down," Ezi mumbled, but apparently, she had said it loud enough for everyone to turn to her. "Ken is…. He tried to kill Shinjiro. It makes sense he ran away. He needs to figure things out."

"Yeah, let him be." Akihiko agreed.

"Akihiko…" Mitsuru didn't sound as agreeable.

"Let him be." He said again, sternly. "It's his choice. He's the only one who can decide how he's going to live his life… The same goes for all of us."

No one said anything else, and Akihiko went upstairs. Everyone went their separate ways, thinking.

Ezi stood up and left the dorm, she heard Mitsuru call to her, but she ignored it and ran out.

She started running, to the Paulownia Mall; someplace away from everyone else. The only store that was open late was Club Escapade, so she thought she would go talk to the monk; maybe he would have some advice. She was panting and sweating when she arrived, and brushing by the dancing hot bodies on the dance floor to reach the monk's table didn't help. She felt wet, drenched in sweat and tears. She was disappointed the old monk was not there, when she saw his empty booth.

"Hey, I've seen you before." There was a young man sitting to the right of her, drinking a bloody Mary at the dark bar table. "Sorry, I noticed you because I've seen you with the monk before… You two are a bit of odd characters to be in a bar, so…"

"Y-yeah. He's not here tonight?"

"Haven't seen him, sorry. But, uh, hey… I have a question for someone like you."

"Someone like me?" She grimaced.

He chuckled. "Don't take it the wrong way! I mean, I was wondering… Have you ever had a dream where you're falling?"

"Sure, lots of people have those kinds of dreams…"

"Yeah? Have do you ever hit the bottom, or do you just wake up?"

She thought about the Velvet Room. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't tell if the elevator like space was going up or down.

"No."

"Interesting… I guess the rumors aren't true. Well, those dreams are supposedly dangerous, is all."

"Tell me about it." She smiled to herself.

"You're a bit young to be here, huh? I guess I was adventurous at your age, too. Just be careful, yeah?

"Right. Why'd you ask me about dreams anyway?"

I've been having the same one the past few weeks… about falling? No, but there's a maze, a maze of blocks… then, I fall." He chuckled again. "Sorry. I guess things have been rough for me in my real life, with romance and stuff, so these dreams are getting more intense… that's why I envy you, kid."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You're still young. You can still fly and do whatever you want in your dreams… So don't waste your youth!"

She looked down, "I feel like I'm in a dream right now. Nothing feels real with everything that's been going on…"

"You got problems? Well, I still envy you."

She scoffed. "How can you be jealous of me? You don't know my problems."

"Tell me, you seeing anyone right now?"

She thought of Shinjiro. "…No, not anymore."

"I see." He took a sip of his drink. "Once you get to be old like me, love loses some of the luster. Romance gets harder to enjoy when you gotta balance it with all the adult responsibilities… So enjoy it while you can."

He really had no idea, but she could tell he was trying to be helpful.

"Heh, this is not any of my business, huh? You're dealing with your own problems… But, I still envy you. You have time to mend, and grow still from these experiences."

"What's going on with you that you think this way?" She decided to ask.

"I'm an adult now. I can't be as carefree as I used to. I've got a girlfriend, and we're stuck together, but I'm screwed if things keep going the way they are… I'm not the marrying kind… You give up so much freedom becoming an adult… heh."

"Well, it doesn't sound like you're very happy with her." She said.

"Yeah? Well, I do care about her…"

"Yeah, but have you told her this? You should be honest with her all the time, and if you guys see things differently, then maybe it's not meant to be…" She was seeing into herself, now. Maybe she was in love with Shinji, and he loved her back… but, they didn't see things the same way. He wasn't honest with her, for reasons that made sense, but even so…

"I guess you're right. You're pretty wise, kid. It's no wonder you chill with the monk."

"I do my best." She shrugged. "'Nice talking to you."

"See you 'round." He waved his glass to her as she left. Even though she hadn't seen the monk, she felt a sense of ease after talking to the man…

Still, she had an urge to go to the outskirts, as if Shinjiro would be there waiting. She thought of how lonely the walk home was, having been with him on the same path several times… Despite trying to move on, there was an amount of uncertainty in her heart that plagued her all the way back to the dorm. If she couldn't protect him, what good would she be as a leader?

"Hey pretty girl, what are you doing here all by yourself?"

Oh. She hadn't gone back to the dorm. She was in the outskirts. She had wandered there on purpose. She knew they would be there, waiting for her.

"You're that bitch that was with Shinjiro, huh?" He asked. The thug was surrounded by three of his friends. If Ezi wasn't herself, she would have been terrified… instead, she felt nothing for a moment as she watched the thugs surround her.

"He's not around to protect you anymore, that's so lucky for us!" One of them said.

"Come on, cutie; we'll show you a good time."

One of the guys slammed her into the brick wall and he pinned her arms up. He started licking her neck and biting her, his breath smelled like alcohol.

"Aw man! She's into it!" One of them said. She turned her head to the side, and saw where Shinjiro had been lying just a night before. His blood wasn't washed, but it looked as if it had been a stain there for years. His blood was still on the floor, and these men were here, trying to ravage her, in the same place…

This place was hell.

She had been careful not to spill their blood on the pavement, anywhere near Shinjiro's. One had a broken head, another had a large concussion, another a broken hand, the other an arm…

They were groaning and screaming and crying, and even in their pain, as she stood above them, she didn't feel triumphant. She had hoped releasing her anger would ease it all, but it did nothing.

"Don't come after me, or my friends…" She said monotonously. "Next time, I'll kill you all."

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She wondered if apathy was part of grief. She could feel the positivity from Akihiko and even the guy at the bar elevate her, but it wasn't enough yet. Maybe she was getting the Apathy Syndrome; maybe this was how it started.

The students in the hall were bustling about their own business, gossiping and talking about useless things as they did. She felt like a zombie, dragging her tired self across the school to her classes.

Ms. Toriumi understood that Shinjiro was from her dorm and she knew him, so she dismissed her lack of participation in the class. The other teachers were a bit strict on her.

Ms. Ounishi had scolded her for not answering a question about why the matador's used red cloaks in bull-fighting. The other students were whispering about her, confused themselves as to why a top-ranking student was acting so negligent. The rumors she heard in the halls that stuck with her, were the ones about Shinjiro:

 _"Did you hear about Aragaki-sempai?"_

 _"Yeah, but he was a thug. It makes sense"_

 _"I heard he was caught in a drug deal, and they shot him!"_

 _"He was always fighting with the thugs at the outskirts."_

 _"He must have been scary!"_

 _"What do I care what happened? He never came to school, it's not like anyone knew him."_

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"Ezi-san!" Saori raced towards her in front of the school.

"Hey, girl." She said quietly.

"Are you okay? How come you missed the committee meeting today?"

"Um… I don't, really want to talk about it. But, you should know… All of the rumors going around about Shinjiro aren't true."

"What? Then… You guys weren't close?"

"No, we were close, but… he was a good person." She smiled weakly, unable to look up at Saori.

"I understand… So, you're upset about him then?"

"Yes, but I wanted to tell you that, since you're one of the few people who deserve to get to know what Shinjiro was really like."

"Well, thank you. Will you be okay?"

She didn't know.

"Yes, I'll be okay. I'll go to the next meeting. See you then."

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When she reached the dorm, Theodore was calling her.

"Good evening," He said pleasantly, "I sense a deep power within Tartarus; the doorway that was blocked is now open. You can continue exploring Tartarus."

"Oh." This time, this news wasn't as thrilling to her as it used to be.

"Please, Ezi-san, be careful on your exploration." He hung up abruptly. Ezi went upstairs, hoping perhaps this night she'd be able to rest….

But all she could think about was that night, and how things unfolded:

 _…. By the time they had reached the hospital, Shinjiro wasn't breathing on his own. The doctor's prognosis was that there was no chance of him regaining consciousness._

 _The surgeon informed them of this in the white room. Akihiko, Ken, and Ezi were too stunned to say much._

 _"…But, he's still alive, right?" Junpei asked the doctor._

 _The doctor shook his head. "Barely. Its possible he could have seizures, even in his coma, and at this point there's no knowing he could wake up. His heart could stop beating at any moment, its so fragile. Still, a gunshot wounds to the chest? It's amazing he's alive at all…"_

 _Ezi's mind wandered. She wasn't fast enough, she could have saved him._

 _"Thank you, doctor." Mitsuru said. "None of us have the authority to turn off the machines…"_

 _"That's true, but if after three months nobody claims him, we'll give it to the closest person to him."_

 _"That'd be Akihiko, right?" Junpei asked. "You're not gonna let 'em turn off the machine, right?"_

 _"I… no…" Akihiko was just as responsive as the white walls that blocked them in the waiting room._

 _"Like I said, three months; that's all we can wait for…"_

 _They walked back to the dorm, and Ezi could feel the blood drying all around her body and clothes. They had returned close to the sun coming up. No one spoke._

 _"Sempai…" It was the first time she'd said anything for hours, when they were all back at the lounge._

 _"Leon-san?"_

 _"I… I won't be going to school tomorrow."_

 _"Oh… I understand." Mitsuru had the most pitiful frown on her face, and she scanned the blood all over Ezi's hands and knees._

 _"I'm… gonna…" Shower. She was going to shower. What the hell was happening? She didn't even get a chance to apologize for yelling at him and telling him to leave…_

 _Blood, like her brother's._

 _She didn't wash it off right away, in fact, it was all she had left of him. She curled into a ball on the ground in her room, letting it all sink in… This sort of things kept happening, no matter how happy and strong she tried to be… Even if she could move on, was it worth it? It could happen again and again…_

 _._

 _._

 _._

The next day, Akihiko had been talking with Ken at the spot in the outskirts. Shinjiro's blood had washed off now, and he couldn't look up at Akihiko.

"…I just focused on my revenge. I wasn't thinking about anything else. I thought I'd feel better if I got my revenge and ended myself, but I've been left twice… and nobody knows what really happened in both situations."

"Well, like you said, you've been left twice… Don't you think that means something? Ken, Shinjiro wanted you to live a good life, for him, and for your mother. You can stay here until you die, its your choice. But if you have the will to fight, you know what to do."

Akihiko left him, then, to his thoughts.

"…All this anger I had, it only made me lonelier…" He thought of the adventures in Tartarus, when Ezi and him would leap off the same pole to knock away the shadows, when Junpei tried to show him how to swing, but he only fell instead, when Yukari and Fuuka would try to help him with his homework, when Shinjiro made food… all of the good memories really did make the the terrible ones go away for a while. Yes, they'd always be there, but they didn't have to define him.

"If I had, no, if I do try to live my life, for them, and for my friends, I can't fail…I won't fail…" He wiped the tears from his face. "Shinjiro… I'm sorry, and thank you. I know with them, I won't be left alone."

Nemesis changed in the light, into a new, stronger Persona: Kala-Nemi!

Ken felt so confident. He thought about his mother's love, and how it had spread to the people he had come to live with in his new home.

"I'll be okay now, mom… Goodbye…"

At the dorm, Ezi went back downstairs. Mitsuru was having a meeting about Ken.

"It's been two days." Yukari said.

"Yeah, maybe we should look for him now."

"Akihiko must be out looking for him too." Junpei thought. "But, I thought he said we shouldn't."

"Yeah, let him be…" She was trying to be strong, but the uncertainty grew as tension rose within the room.

"I can't take this! I have to go look for-!" Fuuka dashed towards the door, but it opened, and Ken walked in.

"Woof!" Koromaru wagged his tail, and jumped up onto Ken.

"Hi, boy." Ken said, smiling, rubbing Koromaru's ears.

"Ken, you're back!" Fuuka hugged him first.

"Amada, it's good to see you." Mitsuru said.

"Hi everyone… Sorry I ran off, I won't do it again."

"You sure, man?" Junpei asked.

"Yes."

"We can trust him!" Fuuka proclaimed.

"Geez, don't make us worry like that, okay?" Yukari scuffed up his hair.

"Alright. I'll talk to the Chairmen, then. Get some rest." Mitsuru ordered.

"Yes." Ken nodded, and headed up the stairs.

"I am glad he's back." Junpei admitted. "I sort of missed the little guy."

"Yeah, I'm glad he's safe…"

Ezi clenched the bar of the stairs. They were happy he was back? Then, why wasn't she?

"Leon-san—"

Ken was standing near the boy's dorm rooms as he approached her on the stairs.

"—Um, I'm really sorry about what happened…You could have said no, but you let me come back… I'll make it up to you guys, Shinjiro-san, too…"

"Yeah, thanks." She said solemnly. She went to her room after that, raging at herself for not being more forgiving, and went to bed.

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She avoided her dorm mates, studying with friends outside of SEES to keep herself busy. She did extra help in the library committee, and went to every basketball practice, and studied in every available room where other students or teachers were working so she didn't feel alone.

Everyone else seemed to be recovering so quickly; so why wasn't she? Maybe she liked being in this morbid state, thinking only of the past and how much lack of confident she had for the future. So much blood—

The mediocre, normal days were a bit refreshing. She ran and did Theo's quests as well, obtaining a goggle-eyed doll from the antique store, and an anatomical model from the science room.

On one of the days before the exams, She met with Saori at the front of the school. "Hey!"

"Ezi-san," She squinted her eyes when she smiled. "How are you today?"

"Good, why aren't you going to the library meeting?"

"Well…" She looked over at one of the cars on the road. "…I'm leaving today."

"What?"

"I did give you warning, but I'm sorry I didn't tell you it was today."

"Oh, Saori…"

"It's alright." She smiled. "I am glad, this will give me a fresh start. I know you said you wanted to be more like me, but when I start fresh, I want to be more like you, Ezi-san. You're always so positive, and you stick up for yourself."

"Well, don't lose your honest streak! I'm glad I got to meet you while you were here."

"Yes, I'm glad too." They hugged each other tightly. "Thank you, for everything! I'll still text you."

"Definitely! I'll miss seeing you at the committee… I may not even go that much. Or at least, I'll stay to organize the books once and while, but it won't be the same without you!"

"Yeah… At least I'll be away from the rumors. I, I wanted to tell you something before I left."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I have been in love with the same man for a long time, that's why all of the rumors never bothered me, because I knew I only ever liked one guy. He doesn't go to school here, but, my parents would never approve of him either. I just think going somewhere else would be a fresh start." She hugged Ezi again. "Thank you for being my friend here! I'll never forget you."

"And I won't forget you. Keep your spirits up, no matter what! You'll do great at another school."

"I know you've been sad lately… please text me if you need anything. And please, keep your spirits high like you always do!"

She wasn't sure if she could.

They waved goodbye and Ezi watched Saori leave in her car. It was a bittersweet moment, because she knew Saori would be good somewhere else. She took her things and headed towards the dorm. On the way there, she saw people in suits and school uniforms limping around, with no expression on their faces, groaning, like zombies.

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Pharos greeted her at the Dark Hour. She had been dreaming about Shinjiro keeping her warm in his tight embrace during a cold night under the stars, so she was glad to wake up and not have to think about it.

"Hello…Its cold tonight. Can you believe it's already autumn? It'll be winter before you know it."

She looked at him, but said nothing.

"You seem tired… Did something happen?"

"Other than the fact you just woke me out of a dead sleep?" She looked down. "Yeah, something happened. A good friend was…"

"Is that so?" He looked away. "In this world, people come and go everyday. Until recently, this was the same to me as blowing of the wind."

"But?"

"But now, I see things differently now. I have a friend, for the first time."

She looked back at him. "I don't understand you…"

"Lately, I've been more certain of something… You know the end I've spoken of? Some people call it 'The Fall', but regardless…Its drawing near, don't you sense it?"

"No… I don't get you, Pharos, or you're existence…"

"We are kindred spirits, you and I, so why is it that only I can remember?"

"What?" Her eyes widened. "You do know something, don't you?"

"This is a heartrending matter… Is my existence something you are unable to accept?" Pharos smiled sadly.

"Unable to accept?" Is that what was happening now? She couldn't forgive, because she hadn't accepted it? She had had a plan: Be with Shinjiro, then begin searching for her lost memories. The reality she was in now wasn't working for her… Is that why she forgot everything before? Did she **choose** to lose her memories the last time? Was Pharos apart of those memories she could not recall?

"Of course, our friendship remains steadfast." He added. "Well… I shall bid you farewell for now…Goodnight…I'll always be by your side."

"Thank you… Pharos." After Pharos vanished, she lay in her bed and thought.

"Shinjiro, I know you didn't want to hurt me, but you did…and I… forgive you. I forgive it all…"

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In class, Ezi raised her hand in Ms. Ounishi's class.

"Ezi?"

"It's to excite the audience."

"I'm sorry?"

"When you asked me before, I said I didn't know to your question: Why they used a red cape during the bull fight. Most people think it's to get the bull's attention, but its really to excite the audience. The color is bold, and resembles blood on purpose, to symbolize the risk and danger of the bull approaching. The truth is, the bull could care less of the color, since bulls are colorblind to red."

The room was quiet for a moment.

"I see…" Ounishi smirked. "You've been doing your readings?"

"Just wanted to get ready for the exams."

"Good! That will be on it, just so you all know. Now…"

The class continued. Ezi was feeling better.

Yukari invited her to the Wakatsu Restaurant after school, quite sheepishly, in fact. They talked of the regular school day as they walked there.

"Thanks for coming…" They sat by the window.

It had been a while since they had hung out together. Since Yukari had lost her wallet that day and was attacked, in fact.

"No problem."

"So… How are you doing? I know its only been a week, but…"

She shook her head. "I'm getting over the angry feeling I had. I've been trying to blame someone for what happened… Ken, Shinjiro, Strega… Myself. When I wonder if I could have stopped this, I feel my confidence waning…"

"Please don't say that you are—blaming yourself, that is. I mean, we could blame Strega, but I feel like getting angry about it only makes more problems."

"Right… the whole, cliché _, revenge doesn't solve anything_ … I guess it really does apply in real life…"

"I know you really freaked out before… This whole thing has been unreal…" Yukari sighed. "If you need anything, let me know."

"I need a study buddy. I… I haven't much liked being alone this week. Sorry I've been avoiding all of you."

"It's okay… although I gotta say, there's no way I can study right now when a close friend's on the verge of death. I can't just forget about it and move on. I'm not that strong."

She looked up to see Ezi had a somber look on her face.

"S-sorry. I know you're not over it completely either… you're just so strong. It's hard to see you the way you were that night. I guess I was just really worried about you."

"Yeah… I guess I don't have a reason not to be okay…"

"Well, it's just, I know we're friends, but you never talked to me about Shinjiro and that you guys were so close… it's none of my business, I just wanted to know if you were truly okay…"

She had to think about it. Forgiving Shinjiro was easy, so she could move on with her life. He had made a decision, despite them not being in her best interests, but…

"I still miss him."

"I know…"

"I want to be close to him, and embrace him and kiss him again… What if I never get to again? Even though he hurt me by not being honest, I still miss him…"

"Ezi…"

"I'm not going to sulk around about it. I can't, I shouldn't… there's too much to do." She looked at Yukari and grinned. "You knew we were close?"

"Y-yeah… Fuuka and I noticed it. You guys hung out a lot… at night…"

"Geez."

"It's okay!" She chuckled. "I was just surprised you were actually interested in a guy. You're also so driven and busy, like you say, but we could tell."

She wondered for a moment if anyone else had noticed, and then she thought about Shinjiro and Akihiko's conversation in his room…

They ate and had livelier conversations, more like gossip about how obnoxious the other students were, then they went back.

.

.

Akihiko was near the kitchen, Junpei and Mitsuru were on the lounge on the couches, and Fuuka was feeding Koromaru.

"Where's Aigis?"

"Upstairs." Junpei replied.

"I guess I should be too… Maybe you're right, Ezi-chan, I should study."

"Well, do what you need to do."

"Right."

"Not you guys to?" Akihiko overheard. "Honestly, if Shinjiro were here, you know what he'd say?"

"Call us, idiots? He was just so cool like that." Junpei shrugged.

"No! He'd say to stop moping around and take care of yourselves. So please focus; we got exams!"

"Yes sir." Yukari rolled her eyes.

Ezi scowled. "Don't get all high and mighty because you've found some peace. It's like you said… we all have some decisions and thinking to do."

"Well, don't take too long doing it." He was focused on his homework, and he didn't think much about what he was saying.

"Jerk." Was all she said before heading upstairs. Akihiko thought about saying something as he watched her leave, but didn't.

"Dude, I think you pissed her off."

.

Ken and Aigis were studying on the second floor.

"Ken…"

"Ezi-san." He looked at her for a moment, relieved, then looked away.

"I'm glad you came back."

"Y-yeah, me too. I don't think Shinjiro would want me to be depressed… I'm not all alright, but I'm okay."

"Me too."

"All the students at school seem to care about their studies more than the event involving Shinjiro Aragaki." Aigis explained. "I understand their comparison, but lately I'm not so sure why their lack of compassion is unsettling to me…"

"You're upset, Aigis? But, you're a robot." Ken was confused.

"She's been hanging around our pathetic feelings too long." Ezi teased. "Well, good luck with your school work, guys."

.

The third exams were upon them before they knew it. That Tuesday, Ms. Toriumi's exams were focused on social and literature vocabulary and multiple choice.

'What is the number one stress for women'? A question that had been presented to them by an article about women's health

…She circled the 'husbands' choice for her answer. It was right because so many girls complained they wanted a husband to be happy, so how could it be stressful?

…If they were dishonest bastards who didn't understand their own feelings, then of course they were stressful. Maybe she didn't want to get married. She smiled in amusement and felt confidence in her answer.

.

She went to the shrine to study, since it was becoming cooler outside, but found Maiko had been waiting for her at the jungle gym.

"Ezi-san!" She hugged her wildly.

"M-Maiko…" She wanted to study.

"We don't have to play today, I just wanted to tell you I made my decision!"

"About what exactly?"

"Oh, yeah! I have to decide who I want to live with. My mom and dad still love me, but they're breaking up… I'm going to stay with my mom. She's moving back to her city with her family, which is like a long plane ride away from here!"

"Oh, are you scared?"

"No… I might have been when this whole thing started, but you helped me realize I'm not really gonna be alone when they finally divorce. It'll be a huge change, but I'm looking forward to it!"

"That's good. You're making very mature decisions, Maiko. You're not such a cry baby anymore."

"And you're not just an old high schooler to me anymore! Even if others think you are."

"Gee, thanks. Still, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks! So proud of me, you'll buy me Tokayaki?"

"That's pushing it…"

"Pretty please?"

…They went to the strip mall and she decided to study at the dorm after they ate.

The next day's tests were in Edigawa's class, and she could not for the life of her remember all the names this time. Maybe if she had spent less time with Shinjiro and more time studying… No, those were good memories. She wasn't sure about who invented the numerology system, someone whose name started with a 'P', but she didn't feel confident in her answers.

She decided she'd stay distracted by being driven for these exams, and studied harder after school that day and went to bed early. She had her small breakfast for energy as usual, and listened to her headphones on the way to relax for the next exams the next day, but someone was standing in front of her the moment she came into the building.

She had to take her red headphones off to hear what the boy was saying to get her attention.

"Sorry! Good morning, Ezi-chan…" He was somebody from her 2-F classroom, but she could not remember his name.

"Hello?"

"Uh, I'm sorry, are you busy?"

"Not really. Uh, what's… up?"

"Uh…" He was fidgeting around, and the five-minute bell rang, so she couldn't hear him.

"…Huh?"

"I said, t-the Halloween festival is coming up!"

"…So it is."

"W-well, I don't know if you're going or not, b-but I was wondering if… that is… would like to go with me?"

Her mouth was open slightly. Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Any possibility of trusting, or even feeling happy the way she had with Shinjiro ever again…

"You are very brave to ask me. I admire your courage, which is why I hate to say that I… still like someone else." She bowed her head. "I'm very sorry."

He didn't reply right away, in fact, he didn't at all.

"Excuse me." She brushed by him. Damn it, now she was sad again. She wanted to run into Shinjiro's arms, and scream.

The boy turned around and pointed at her.

"It's Akihiko, huh? You like him?" She stopped walking for a moment, and other students around them seemed to be observing.

"It's not fair! It's too obvious you two would end up together! Why can't girls like you just like a guy like me for a change? Am I not good enough for you, is that it?"

"Stop all that racket!" The lunch bar woman seemed to be the only adult in view, hollering at them from across the snack counter.

"I really am sorry, but maybe you should be considerate of my feelings too and let it be." She said that to him without turning to him, and she headed upstairs to class.

She wondered if the boy was making a face of rage at her as she took the science test in Takenozuka's physics class. She quite enjoyed the way things worked in the world, so the questions about zero electrical resistance were easy to answer.

She wanted to go home and study more, but Junpei distracted her when she got in to the dormitory lounge with everyone.

"Dude, the heartbreaker is here!"

"Eh?"

"It's going all over the school!"

She sighed, aggravated. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"Its true, right? You totally rejected this poor sap that asked you out! What a tiger you are!"

"I just told him the truth." Tension was building up. She didn't want to talk about it.

"What, that you're _too busy_ to date guys?" He teased.

"No that I like somebody else—"

Just like earlier, time seem to freeze when everyone was watching her. No one said anything, not even Junpei.

"Uh..?" He scratched his head. She had said it so quickly.

"Excuse me." She went upstairs and studied… or at least, tried to.

Why had she bothered to say that? Whatever outcome she was hoping for by saying it aloud didn't intervene. Still, there was comfort in being honest out loud with no positive resolution.

.

The test the next day was in Ono's class. She looked at the helmet he had on and thought about how Theo wanted that Sengoku elm helmet for his collection, as requested. She answered some questions about the Coup of Meiou and felt a little better on this exam than the one from yesterday.

She wanted to avoid the dorm for a while, so she tried the Naganaki Shrine park to study. Akinari was in his striped pajamas, coughing at the bench, so it was a little hard to ignore him the way she had wanted to with Maiko before because she was so focused. Still, it was different seeing him—she wanted to talk to him. She took her headphones off and sat beside him as she waited for him to stop coughing. She should have connected the pieces with Shinjiro and knew he was dying too…

"Sorry, thanks for waiting." He smiled. "I was up all night reading different books, trying to get some ideas."

"Don't push yourself!" She snapped. "If you're sick, you should be taking care of yourself."

He looked surprised. "Right… I suppose I should apologize. No one yells at me like that anymore." He seemed relieved and smiled sadly as he rubbed his hands together. "…I came today hoping to find you, since we talked about upbeat stories before. The problem is, they were written for someone's else's woes to be fixed."

"You can't relate to them in your situation."

"Yeah… Or, maybe I'm just picky and selfish when it comes to the books I read now." He looked at her. "I'm being selfish about you, too."

She was startled. "W-what does that mean?"

"You're always coming to see me, and I take a lot of your time. How much of your valuable time have you used up coming to see me? …I don't deserve it. You're spoiling me, I'm afraid."

She could tell it wasn't some cheap love confession, Akinari was only signifying their odd connection.

"You sound like him."

"Who?"

"My friend who just died… well, he almost died. He's in a coma and he's not going to ever wake up."

"Oh my… death hangs around you like heavy jewelry, it seems."

"He knew it was going to happen, he had planned to die… he always told me not to waste my time on him. But, I wouldn't trade our time and memories for anything. Don't think so little of yourself."

He blinked at the revelation a few times. "You're right… I quite enjoy our time together. I know you don't mind my presence, either. That's why I like you, though." He smiled weakly.

She nodded.

"We can talk more about death later. I have to get back…" Akinari left, and she studied in the quiet cool breeze at the shrine.

…Wouldn't trade the memories for anything, huh? Now, she just had to embrace them as something to use rather than dwindle on them.

.

The last day of exams was the next day, and she felt rather confident in most of the work, though, not as much as she had the first two exams earlier that year. She really had been more distracted by Shinjiro when he was around then she had realized.

When the exams were finally over, she didn't know what she felt like doing… She took Koromaru to the shrine, and Junpei decided he wanted to go as well, since he seemed like he really wanted to get out of the dorm. Probably to talk about what she had said the other night.

He ran around and played fetch with Koromaru.

"Man, this is a good day to be out! All this jogging around is making forget about all those tests I failed!"

"Again, dude?"

"Dude, yeah!" He ran out of breath and sat with her on the bench, throwing the ball a few times from there.

"Koromaru has an honest face… dogs are so honest. He seems pretty worked up about recent events…"

Ezi didn't look at him. Koromaru came back and he had to throw the ball one more time.

"…When I look at that dog, its like he's looking into my soul and I can't lie to him."

"He does make you feel guilty. I guess its because we don't really know what he's thinking." She waited. "What things are you lying to yourself about?"

He shrugged and sunk back into the bench. "Dunno. Like, I keep thinking everything will be okay and go back to normal, but its not going to. I wonder if it ever will, or if change is always gonna suck like this."

"Most of the time it sucks."

"That doesn't sound like advice you'd give!"

"Change changes people. But... I'll be okay."

"I was worried… everyone is taking this in their own way. How you holdin' up?"

"Like… If I could go back in time, I'd be an idiot and try to fix everything. You know I'm a bit of a control freak when I'm leading in Tartarus. I'm sure its something you hate about me."

He shook his head. "I used to. I used to think you just wanted all the glory. But, after what happened, I guess I know why you are that way. You're not trying to be perfect, you're just… doing everything you can to keep everyone safe. I know that now."

"Thanks, Junpei."

He played with Koromaru a bit more and then they walked back.

"…So, who do you like?"

"God damn it."

"You can't just say that and not expect me to not want to know! Who do you think I am?"

"A nosy pervert."

"Maybe I am, but I'm a loyal nosy—Well, I won't tell anyone. I just want to know!"

"I don't think I want to tell you."

"Pwetty pwease?"

"No!"

"I'll give you money!"

"What kind of person do you think I am that I'd leak information for money?"

"I dunno. You dressed in those maid outfits for money."

"…True. But, I'm still not telling."

"It's not fair! You know who I like! If it's Akihiko, you have to tell me. I practically called that shit when you first came to the island!"

"Why does everyone think..?"

"It is, isn't it?"

"No, Junpei. Seriously, stop."

"O-okay. Sorry." She felt bad, but she knew he and Akihiko were friends, and for some reason, she didn't want him to find out.

"Sorry… c-can we talk about something else?"

"Like, how I'm psyched to go to Tartarus again? I don't want to think about school anymore!"

"Right… Tartarus…"

"Y-you're okay to go, right?"

"I am…" She wasn't sure.

When they got back in, Akihiko and Mitsuru were talking on the couch. It seemed they were dressed in long winter clothes.

"Is the command room mechanism still on the fritz?"

"Yes. It hasn't been repaired yet." Mitsuru explained.

"I can check on it." Fuuka insisted. "M-maybe you can too, Ezi-chan?"

She could care less. "Oh, okay." She would have to look later.

"Leon-san… I know we're tired from exams, but the next moon is coming…" Mitsuru wondered if she'd answer her unheard question.

"Yeah. Let's go tomorrow. We're all tired from exams."

"I agree." Fuuka nodded. "We should start tomorrow, then we'll have half a month until the next moon.

"Indeed."

.

The exam results were posted the next day. She decided she might as well go see the posted results, in front of the teacher's lounge. Even with all of her lack of studying, it seemed she scored highest.

…She felt like she was trying too hard. How the hell did she score so high, with everything going on? It didn't seem possible… everyone in the halls were looking at her with curiosity and respect. She didn't like it as much as she used to… What was the point?

…Oh yeah, to move forward.

Ms. Miyahara in math class was already asking her questions, something about the calendar patterns.

"Twenty… something?"

"No; you need to think about these questions more elegantly…"

Right, because knowing these patterns would be essential to life and saving someone from a bullet.

She felt relief when she went to basketball practice… she felt out of shape since she hadn't worked out in a few weeks.

"Break's over! Make sure you're running your muscles instead of your mouth!" Rio was smiling with amusement despite her seemingly harsh coaching; she was really happy about Kenji still, and the girls were much more fond of her for it.

"We should call her Rio the phoenix!" One of the girls with glasses decided.

"We should invite her to our next group date… now I feel shitty for not inviting her before."

"…Or me…" Ezi said aloud, as they were doing high knees.

"Well, you've got someone already, don't you?" One of the short-haired members asked as they were in line. "We've heard the rumors, too. So, why not tell us more—"

"Hey! No talking in line! We've got lay-up drills next!"

She didn't think she could take rumors about romance anymore. When practice was over, Rio sat with her in the gym as they took their shoes off.

"Did you see everyone today?" She seemed giddy. "Everyone seemed so committed today!"

"Yeah."

"Well, no… I guess they were always committed to each other; it just took me a while to figure out what everyone was good at on the team, so we could excel together."

"They look up to you now because you were honest with them. I knew you could do it."

"Ezi… from the looks of it, you're good at bringing a team together."

"I…" She thought about SEES. Was she, really?

"You've really got an eye for details. Seriously, you're a much better leader than me."

"I don't know about that. All I did was try to help you… Wait, you're not gonna quit or something, are you?"

She laughed. "No! I was just thinking about all of our strengths together is all!" She seemed calm, like she had matured recently. 'Wanna go to Duck? I could use some fries and a burger."

She smiled. "That sounds delicious."

.

When she got back to the dorm, she expected everyone to be ready to go to Tartarus, but suddenly, everyone had to do something else. Mitsuru had to do something with Kirijo, Yukari was having a crisis on one of her reports in class, Ken had the similar problems, and even though Junpei and Akihiko griped that they wanted to go, Ezi said they should just wait while everyone met in the lounge to discuss it.

She didn't really want to go either. It was an excuse to keep them from fighting one more day.

"Ezi, come on!" Akihiko insisted. "I did okay on the exams, but I don't care about that! I need to get stronger…"

"Geez, and you scolded us for not being focused on them."

"We should try to go tonight! What's the hold up?"

She thought about the blood again. What if…

"If you want to go so badly, then go!"

"Eh?" Junpei overheard her.

"I… can't… I won't go. Not tonight."

"What the hell you mean you won't go? What's with you all of a sudden?"

She wasn't sure what to say yet…

"His heart could stop at any moment, right?"

"This again?" Akihiko sounded like an aggravated parent. "Yeah, what of it?"

She glowered at him, coldly. "What of it? That could be you in that hospital bed!"

"Leon-san…" Mitsuru realized.

"How can any of you want to go back to fighting? What if I mess up again? What if I can't see what's going to happen, like I couldn't with Shinjiro? Then what? Another one of you is gunned down by Strega? Killed by a Shadow?"

The senior sighed. "We don't blame you… It wasn't your fault. I can agree with Akihiko that Shinjiro made the choice to face his demons alone, even if he had good intentions."

Ken nodded, but said nothing.

"I know, but…"

"What are you so afraid of? This isn't like you at all. Get it together." Akihiko said directly.

"Sempai, calm down…" Yukari said weakly to him.

"If you want to get fucked up so badly, then go without me!" She stormed upstairs, and she knew she was wrong, but…

She was scared. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but it hadn't been the first time she felt failure so close by, and the death of another befalling her because of it. She felt stupid for being in bed instead of at Tartarus with everyone, but she never left her room that night…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Natsuki and Fuuka were talking about Aragaki-san in class, then Natsuki made her announcement in their 2-E classroom: that she was transferring very soon, and Fuuka felt one of her main support systems was leaving her for good.

They talked more on the roof during lunchtime, and no one else seemed to be there.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before… my dad's condition has worsened, so we're going some place where really good doctors can help him."

"Natsuki-chan…"

"Why the long face? I used to bully you, remember? I guess I was just jealous, especially when you moved in the dorms, but I'm glad you did… You don't have a great relationship with your parents either, right?"

"Well, um…"

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Een if things aren't cool with your parents, you made a decision to change yourself and move to the dorms, right? If you accept things as they are, then they'll never change… This is the last time I'll see this view. I guess I'm packing so I won't be here next week. I guess this is good bye."

"No!"

"Don't give me that sad face. Thanks to you, I know I need to find what I really want in life instead of thinking every day will be the same. You should do the same."

Fuuka paused. "I used to think I needed to please everyone, since I was afraid of not being liked. But, I never thought about what I wanted."

Natsuki chuckled. "That's so like you, Fuuka. Well I say if they don't except you for who you really are, then screw 'em. But, I like you… even if you don't like yourself."

Natsuki left without looking back. A few moments later, and she texted Fuuka:

 _"Even if we're apart, we're still connected."_

She nodded at this. "I guess my abilities are connected to what I truly want. I'm happy when others are happy, the people I care about, and my Persona is connected to the others, to keep them together. That's what I want…"

The resolution in her heart awakened a new Persona, and **Lucia turned into Juno**! The Persona appeared with a body shape and rounded protection over her, but she could see had a red velvet dress on, with a sort of floating wings with a round design that reminded her of a peacocks feathers, or a butterfly's wings. Then it disappeared.

Aigis, Yukari and Junpei came up to the roof. To make sure she was okay, and she was okay, she assured them. She met with Ezi before lunch ended and asked her to join her at the cooking club that day. With great hesitation, Ezi decided to go.

"Let's bake sugar cookies! We should use the remaining eggs before they get bad."

"Okay." She smiled weakly, but she could tell Fuuka had gained a lot of energy, for some reason. They rolled the flour and sweet dough together, even dying some of the dough in separate colors to make rainbow cookies with sprinkles. They were soft and warm and delicious once they were baked.

"You practically made this on your own. Good job."

"Thank you, Ezi-chan... actually, I wanted to talk with you…"

"I know. About last night?"

"Y-yeah. Well, I know how you feel, sort of. After everything that happened, I felt useless when I couldn't keep us all together when Ken ran away. I even snapped at Yukari. But, I thought it was because I was trying to please everyone, and I thought that wasn't okay. I couldn't mend everyone at once. Now I see I do want everyone I care about to be happy, even if it takes more time than others."

"Fuuka…"

"Ezi-san, I know you loved Shinjiro, and its not my place to say, but I know you feel like a failure when you mess up even the slightest; that's why you work so hard, right? All these mixed feelings you've been having must be very hard for you. But, I just wanted to say… we're all here for you, and we still want you to lead. You're the only one who can."

"Yeah. I think I've known that all along… I just didn't have the confidence back entirely until now when it came to fighting. Thanks, Fuuka."

"It's no problem at all!"

"…Do you think I could take some of these cookies? I think I should lend it as peace offering to my student council members. We have a meeting today but I'm running late."

"Oh, my! I'm sorry if I held you up!"

"Of course not. I came because I wanted to talk to you. I'm glad I did."

Everyone in student council was in a buzz, discussing issues about the Halloween festival when she walked in and sat in the back.

"Some of the teachers don't want the festival to be conducted until the ones with cigarette are caught," Hidetoshi announced.

"Did they say that, or did _you_ suggest that to them?" One of the members demanded to know. The meeting was in an uproar for a while.

Ezi stood up and said: "It's not fair to the students that have been working hard to cancel the entire event because a few boys went out of line. We have been planning the event for a while, it would be silly to cancel it over something so petty."

Mitsuru seemed surprised as she watched Ezi during student council. It had been the first time since Shinjiro's accident that she seemed motivated to her. They walked home from student council together, which was Ezi's suggestion, and she told Mitsuru she wanted to have a small meeting with everyone in the lounge.

.

Before she went home, she went to the Velvet Room.

"…Helmet?" Theo asked excitedly.

She smiled at him "Sorry not yet, Mr. Ono is very fond of that thing."

"Aww."

"Actually, I came here to fuse Personas… I'm going to go to Tartarus tonight."

"Well, that's something I can assist you with." Igor spoke from his chair, and snapped his fingers. A pentagon raised over their heads as a sort of fusing chamber. "Did you have anything in mind?"

"Well, I know my bonds had recently become stronger with some people, so… Is there one you could suggest to me I can make?"

He grinned, already with an idea. "Hm… it seems you recently had someone very close to you… Yes, you could create a rather powerful Persona, based off the moon arcana."

"Moon?" That seemed familiar.

"Yes, yes… it could take some fusing of other Personas you have obtained, but I can create Sandalphon, the angel that conveys prayers. What do you say?"

"That…sounds good."

Igor fused Gurr Suzaku, Yatagarasu, Horus and Garuda to create the gold metal bodied angel. It had short hair and silver angel wings, and wore a green robe with a red cross over it. The angel flapped its wings and descended for a moment towards her.

"Sandalphon… if you're truly one with prayers, convey to me some good news tonight. I need to my courage back. Thank you for helping me on my quest."

The angel nodded, and disappeared somewhere.

"Shinjiro… thanks for this power…"

"I wonder what other Personas are lurking within." Igor said. "Farewell, for now."

.

At night, when everyone was there, they sat on the couches to listen to Ezi's speech.

"What's this about?" Akihiko said. "Haven't we done enough mourning over Shinjiro? This isn't what he'd want…"

"Uh, m-maybe we should just listen to what Ezi-san has to say?" Fuuka suggested. She nodded to Ezi, who nodded back. Then, Fuuka and Yukari exchanged glances. They were both thinking something similar: that Akihiko had been harsh towards her since he told everyone to face things head on.

"Thanks for listening, everyone." Ezi swallowed. She knew this conversation had to be now. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last few days… I have been selfish."

"No, Ezi, we understand-" Yukari tried to say.

"Just, hear me out. I was angry. I just wanted to be mad at something. I understand this has been very difficult for all of you, too… We've all been through so much, so it wasn't right for me to be thinking this way. I-" she lowered her eyes, "I'm still going to miss him, and I'll admit I want to be over it, because that is what Shinjiro would want, but I'm not. It's going to take me some more time, I'm not ashamed to admit that… But what I am over, is being angry and scared. I have no reason or right to push any of you away, and I certainly won't let my grief stop me from leading the group in Tartarus, it just wouldn't do! We have just one more Shadow to fight, so of course I'm not giving up now! From here on out, I'll do my best!"

"Bravo, Ezi!" Junpei exclaimed. "It's about time; you're emo side was starting to get annoying!"

"Thank you, Ezi, and we forgive you." Fuuka said delightedly.

"I'm glad you said that… these days have been hard." Yukari admitted. "I didn't really think everyone could just get over it that quickly. I'll try, too; it's just been really hard to focus."

"Well, get focused." Akihiko said. "No more long faces; we have to get stronger for the Shadow coming up."

"Yeah man!" Junpei said.

Ezi grinned. "Why don't we all go to Tartarus tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm down!" Yukari exclaimed.

"I'm going, too." Ken said. "I want to do my best."

"Alright, everyone. Let's use tonight for Tartarus." Mitsuru said. "See you at the Dark Hour."

.

Everyone was grabbing their gear to head out to the Dark Hour. Ezi was racing down the stairs when she realized she was wearing the wristwatch.

 _I thought it'd look good on you._

She couldn't wear it while she fought. As much as she knew it would give her strength, she knew she didn't want it to break while she fought either.

"What's with the sad looking face?" Akihiko and Junpei were walking out from their rooms when they spotted her. She looked to see Akihiko with gloves on already, sauntering over to her with a serious expression.

"Don't bring any of your emotions into Tartarus. Remember, our lives are on the line, and that is more important than getting distracted."

"I won't get distracted!" She retorted.

"Um, I'm gonna go down stairs, now," Junpei could sense the tension, and retreated.

"You sure?" He pressed. "If you're not ready to fight, you should be honest; don't get yourself and everyone else into trouble just because you want to show you're leadership."

She scoffed. "What's wrong with you? Or is this just how you face things _head on_?"

"I'm taking our missions seriously for Shinjiro, not for doing what everyone else wants."

"I was being honest down there! I'm really trying to get over it, I just need more time."

"Then maybe you shouldn't be leading tonight."

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Why are being such a hard ass?"

"I'm being realistic."

"No, you're being a jerk! This is how you were before when we barely knew each other!"

He grunted, annoyed, but said nothing.

"Why are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad."

" _Why_ are you mad at me?"

"I'm not-"

 **"You are!"**

"No, I'm not! You can keep saying it, but this is how I am, okay? I want to focus on my training… nothing else is more important to me."

"Not even friendship, Akihiko?"

"Friendship?" He grimaced. "I want to stay strong, but I know I don't have control of everything that happens… that's why facing things head on will have to do for now."

"Then tell me why you're upset."

"I…can't."

She was trying to get over it. Her and Akihiko should have been on the same page, but they weren't… because…

"…This is about the morning when you fought with Shinjiro, isn't it? The day of the mission?"

"What? How did you know-?"

"Well… I would have had to have been in the room with you two to have heard it, right?"

"You… were in…"

There was a long pause. He was looking at his feet, realizing something he didn't want to—or, maybe it was something he had already known all along.

"I still care about you, Akihiko. You and the others have helped me so much since I've been here. I agree, we should face things head on, but I'm not over Shinjiro being gone yet… can't you accept that?"

His brows were furrowed, as if he were in pain, and he was.

"…No, I can't. And until I know you're ready to fight, I will have to be focused for all of us." He said nothing else and he hurried down the stairs.

She shook her head. He had good intentions, like he always did. Akihiko was a good person, she thought. He was just upset with her, for being in love with the wrong person, so she couldn't blame him. Not one bit. She was still disappointed by his behavior, though, and hurried down to join everyone to prepare fighting again.

.

.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Uh-oh, trouble in paradise still! I'm actually still not sure if I decided to have Aki start dating the fem in this, but I like the conflict so far... I'll have to go back and read what I wrote a while back for the upcoming chapters ;) Anyway, small note: The title of this song was from a song title from the movie "Devil's Carnival". and the one before titled "It's raining somewhere else" is for a song from Undertale. They're both unsettling but tranquil songs in their own way. There was no real reason behind choosing these for titles, but I did like them for this block and they sounded beautiful.

Anyway, thanks! Reviews and follows are welcome :)

 _Farewell, my Dearest..._


	25. Date 20: Full Moon-Stroke of 12

**A/N: This chapters a bit shorter but there's two parts! Enjoy~**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Date 20: Full Moon—The Stroke of Twelve (1)**

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.

"Wow, look at Lucia!" Yukari was the first to notice the change in Fuuka's strength, and Persona.

"Its actually Juno, now."

"Your Persona changed too?" Ken said. "Mine did as well."

"Yeah… I guess all these changes have changed our Personas." Akihiko guessed.

"Yeah… I was able to create a really powerful one just today." Ezi said.

"No way! How come mine hasn't changed yet?" Junpei whined.

"Let's worry about that later." Mitsuru announced. "We haven't been here in a while, and we need to prepare for the next Shadow. It will be our final fight."

"Affirmative. Let's prepare." Aigis added.

"Arf!"

Aigis, Koromaru and Ken stayed with Fuuka in case of a Strega sighting; the others moved on to the next section of the Tartarus, still inside the golden Tziah block. Akihiko seemed the most energized when they ventured in, Summoning his valiant new Cesar to shock and weaken the Visceral, purple masked Mayas and lounging Regal Mothers. Yukari aided in the defeat of the Mayas, as well as using shard garuda winds to knock over the mountainous Solid Castles and Conviction Sword knights easily. Mitsuru's Penthesilea froze the rock Order Giants and black Liberating Idols on their swaying pedestals. Junpei's Hermes blocked and kicked and slashed through the Flowing Sands and Minotaurs.

There was one more Shadow they fought for the night, a Death Seeker, which was new in form: a small auburn red target eye, with swirling black orbs that attacked them through the air. Ezi summoned Sandalphon, the angel, and it zapped the Shadow with light to defeat it.

Everyone took a moment after that, catching their breath and contemplating their victories for the night. Then they returned to the first floor.

"Those Shadows seemed a lot bigger, but Fuuka helped in knowing their weaknesses, so it made it easy." Yukari said.

"Yeah, I don't think I could have brawled any of those big Shadows when we first started months ago!" Junpei admitted.

"I think… he'd be proud of you guys." Ken said. Akihiko nodded to this. Somehow, they had managed to continue their journey without a hitch, despite their recent troubles.

"Any sign of Strega?" Akihiko asked as they walked back to the dorm.

"No, we are in the clear," Fuuka declared.

"Thank goodness," Yukari said tiredly.

"I feel I should remind you all to get costumes for the Halloween Festival." Mitsuru announced. "I know we have much work to do, but the event will be rather big."

"Sounds good, I like that idea." Ken said. "Halloween is one of my favorites."

"Mine too, buddy! I can't wait!" Proclaimed Junpei.

"I don't have time for that," Akihiko added, "I have a home boxing match to attend to."

"What? Sempai, I thought all of the matches were away." Yukari said.

"They usually are, but this match is gonna be different. We're boxing in the gym this week."

"Whoa! It's gonna be packed!" Junpei exclaimed.

"We'll go and support you, Akihiko-sempai." Fuuka said kindly.

Ezi almost didn't embark on the conversation. "Yeah, we'll cheer you on, Akihiko."

"Y-you guys don't have to go," He stammered looking at Ezi particularly.

"Negative. It would be relevant to keep an eye on the foreigners that enter Tartarus in the day." Aigis concluded.

"Expect confetti and cheering, Akihiko-sempai!" Junpei teased. "We're going whether you want us too or not!"

.

.

The next day was a sore day. Even though they had done so well fighting, it had been a while. Ezi had to keep stretching herself after every class so she wouldn't cramp. She walked home with Junpei after a Library Committee meeting, and they talked more outside.

"Today was really peaceful at school." Junpei realized. "Everyone seems to be having fun, but they don't know what's going on. It's like, I feel a wall between us and them."

"I feel that way sometimes. It's like, keeping a secret from them, and sometimes I don't want to."

"Yeah, but its cool because most of the guys here… I don't really talk about serious stuff like that with them."

"Hey, Junpei!" Kenji approached from around the gate. "Wanna get some—Oh, I didn't see you there, Ezi-san. Wanna take a picture with me?"

"Uh, sure?"

"I gotta take some for my sister to see, and she thinks it'll be weird if I only have pictures of guys and not one girl."

"Why don't you take one with Rio?" She teased.

"S-she knows who Rio is from our childhood! I need new girls."

"Seriously, those photos seem a bit much… Wait! It's you, isn't it?" Junpei accused.

"Yes! Wait, what?" Kenji shrugged.

"I'm only gonna warn you one time as a friend: Peeping Tom stuff is a crime!"

"I'm not peeping on anyone! Especially not Ezi-san. She's not my type."

"Old is his type. What's this about, Junpei?"

"The weird photos I found of you."

"That was months ago!"

"Actually, they started going around again."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I dunno… you were kinda, you know, upset about recent events, so I didn't want to bum you out more."

"Oh, _great."_

"You should ask the photography club if they've had any weird photos of you in the dark room." Kenji suggested.

Thus, Junpei and Ezi were on a quest filled with determination, to find the culprit of this unusual hobby. The photography president was kind enough to assist them in searching the dark room on the lab floor, and he even mentioned he would observe some of the next projects and all the member's portfolios for anything after Ezi said she trusted him to help.

They walked back outside with their bit of clues, which were none, and narrowed down what to do next.

"Well, that was weak. I guess we'll have to be more direct about this." Junpei was calculating. "I'll try asking some of my guy friends again too. Wait here!"

"Junpei, you don't…" She saw the look of eagerness on his expression. "…Okay, thanks."

"No prob! Leave it to me!"

"I will." She smiled. "But, I'm not waiting out here for you..."

"Ah, I'll ask them about it later! But I won't go spreading anymore rumors about it! I'll be discrete!"

.

They went to the Wild Duck to eat, then went home. It seemed fun to be caught up in some investigation involving school. She had almost forgotten about everything that had happened.

Almost.

Ken approached her as she was reading a book on the third floor.

"Ezi-san…"

"Ken?"

"…Can you come with me somewhere?"

He seemed rather anxious. "Yeah, of course."

He led her quietly to the Tatsumi Port Island back alley. She knew where they were going, and she wasn't sure if she felt as worried as she thought she would when they got there. It was cleaner, and lighter… just a regular alleyway now.

"Ken, are you..?"

He stood in front of her, facing a wall. "I'm sorry. I was too scared to come here by myself. I know Akihiko and I were here already, and I've been trying to avoid it, but…"

"I'm here with you." She said it, and felt like trembling, but maybe Ken needed to exhaust his feelings now.

"Ezi-san… thanks. It's hard to live, isn't it? Living is hard." He didn't move.

"Yeah, it is." She answered.

Ken began to sob, but no tears fell from his eyes. She couldn't figure out what to say to him that was clever enough to cure… life. He just sobbed, probably for all the right reasons. When he finally calmed down, they went back to the dorm in silence together.

.

.

.

.

"…Well, that was a waste of time!" Yukari sat across Ezi at the Chargall Café, her legs crossed in her seat. "The clothes were on sale, but the costumes were expensive!"

"Maybe we should have gotten costumes sooner. Halloween is coming up, so of course the prices are ridiculous."

"Well, we can try the strip mall another time."

"Let's just go today, we don't have much homework since exams just ended, so we might as well enjoy our afternoon."

"Oh my goodness!" The manager of the café appeared. "Yukari-chan! How goes things? I heard the new cute guy looking for work here has joined the fencing club at your school!"

"Ha, yes, he did. It's not anything interesting, though."

"Well, he seems very polite, quite the catch! And he's single…"

"I-I'm too busy to pursue anything!" Yukari retorted.

"Uh-huh, sure… What about you, lil'darling?" She turned to Ezi. "You hooked up with that tall dark and handsome thing you were here with before, right?"

"Oh…" Ezi casted her eyes down. "He, uh, he's not with us anymore."

"Oh, you mean he..?"

The table went quiet.

"…I'm so sorry, dear. You two seemed nice." She patted her shoulder.

"It's alright."

"Damn, the good ones always either have to go or be gay!" The manager exclaimed. "Girls, this order's on me for today. You girls have a nice one."

"Thanks… you too." Yukari said. The girls drank their tea and left. They walked quietly to the strip mall, until Yukari spoke.

"It's still hard for you, huh?"

"He's only been gone a few weeks. I don't get it."

"Get what?"

"How Akihiko can be so optimistic…"

"I don't know about optimistic, but he's certainly driven." Yukari sighed. "I don't like it when sempai gets this way, but at the same time, I'm jealous of his resolve."

"Maybe I am too… I shouldn't be mad at him for trying to move on…"

Yukari grimaced. "Let's just focus on our costumes! What do you want to dress up as?" The girls found discount prices on cheap outfits for Halloween at the strip mall, then they went back to the dorm.

.

The next day at after school, Ezi went to the Student Council meeting.

"We've got everything ordered for that night, we'll just need more volunteers to set up the tents and the decorations in the gym." Chidori announced.

"Good job, everyone. Continue asking for volunteers." Mitsuru adjourned the meeting, and everyone else stood from their seats.

"Hold on, everyone!" Hidetoshi exclaimed, and some people rolled their eyes towards him in the front. "I just wanted to give you an update on the cigarette situation: Once the boys who smoked are caught, they are to be expelled!"

"Huh?" Chihiro yelled. The others were talking loudly about it, too.

"Alright, thank you all." He said. Ezi stayed behind to make volunteer copy sheets, and Hidetoshi organized some files.

"Ezi-tan, what do you think about the punishment for the boys?"

"Honestly, I know you're all about justice and stuff, but it seems kind of strict."

"I think so too." He nodded his head firmly.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yes, of course. How are those boys going to learn anything if they're kicked out of school and back on the streets to smoke more? Maybe I should tell the teacher its not a good idea."

"Yeah, I agree, you should!"

"It won't make the school better, right? But if I do let the punishment go, I can gain a certain teacher's trust."

"Well, it sounds like you got your hands full."

"And how have you been, Ezi-tan? Aside from all this council busy work?"

It was odd for Hidetoshi to be concerned about affairs other than their duties.

"Oh, just busy work in other places I suppose."

"Heh, good. I admire your work ethic. Don't fall behind!"

"Oh, I don't plan on it." She finished the copies and packed up. "See you, Hidetoshi-san."

"Hey, stay off the dark roads, its dangerous out there!"

 _You have no idea_. She smirked to herself and headed home.

She entered the dorm before it was dark out, seeing an Apathy victim just outside.

"How are the numbers multiplying so much?"

"You mean the apathy cases?" Junpei, Ken, Akihiko and Mitsuru were about the lounge. "I know, dude."

"Its because of this last Shadow. We have to be ready." Mitsuru said.

"Oh, dude," Junpei approached Ezi, "I'm glad you're here. Just so you know, I found more photos of you! But I took them off the wall before anyone noticed it."

"What?" Yukari looked at the developed images in his hands. "They're all of you in gym class, Ezi. That's so creepy!"

"Yep, she's got a stalker for sure! But no worries, Junpei is on the case!"

"I feel better already." Ezi swallowed when Akihiko approached. He swiped the photos from Junpei.

"What the hell? Ezi, why didn't you tell us about these?"

"It's not a big deal, at least they're not of me in my underwear."

"Yeah, that's a shame…" Junpei felt Ezi punch his arm hard. "Ow!"

"Not a big deal?" Akihiko continued. "You…" He was gonna say something, then he shoved the pictures onto Junpei's chest for him to hold.

"Um, so anyway, we should ask more people in the sophomore classes, because I can't find any leads in ours." Junpei watched Akihiko storm away.

"Okay, that's a good idea." Ezi agreed. She looked to Akihiko as well. "Um, but tonight, we should train more in Tartarus."

"Good idea!" Ken chimed in. "I want to get that move you showed me down."

"Okay then, I'll study a bit, then we should all get ready for the dark hour tonight." As Ezi walked up the stairs, Junpei and Yukari conversed privately.

"What's with Akihiko?" Yukari asked. "I mean, I have my theory, but…"

"Nu-uh, sorry, I can't tell you. We bros promised to keep it a secret!"

Yukari glowered at him. "He likes Ezi, doesn't he?"

"What? That's crazy talk…"

She scoffed and walked away. "You're so bad at lying, Stupei!"

.

The next day, everyone was buzzing about the festival. Ezi had hung out with Junpei after school to interrogate some guys, since he had insisted.

"You're putting a lot of energy into finding this stalker." Ezi pointed out.

"Eh, I just gotta help you out! I know I've been spending a lot of time with Chidori, but I don't wanna miss out on helping my friends, too!"

"Thanks, Junpei."

When they walked into the dorm, Akihiko was surrounded by Ken, Yukari and Fuuka.

"R-really! What's the big deal?" He said defensively.

"We want to be able to support you, sempai." Fuuka was insisting on something.

"I can leave my school and go to the match." Ken explained.

"Yeah, it'll be fun to cheer you on!" Yukari said.

"Arf!"

"Is this school assembly something to be ashamed of, Akihiko-san?" Aigis asked.

"N-no, but you guys don't have to be so weird about it. It's just a boxing match!"

"Yeah, but we never get to go to them because they're never at the school!" said Yukari.

"Yeah, sempai, it'd be cool to see you box." Junpei added. "We're all going, right, Ezi?"

Akihiko was looking at the ground. She had thought about how he had been treating her lately despite his new Persona revelation.

"I… don't know. Mitsuru sempai and I have a council meeting tomorrow. We're setting up for the festival outside in the front-"

"Weak!" Junpei proclaimed. "You know all the girls from student council are gonna be at his match, right?"

"Yes, but I'm not _all_ the girls, am I? I'll… I'll try to go, that's all I'm saying."

"Um, okay." Yukari continued. "Should we bring banners?"

"We should paint our faces!" Ken decided. "Like they do in soccer!"

"Hell yeah!" Junpei yelled.

"No way, the teachers would never allow it…"

Ezi stalked up the stairs quietly to her room, avoiding all of the excitement. She couldn't help but feel weird towards Akihiko. She so terribly wanted things to be normal again with him.

.

In Tartarus that night, they tried to run and jump and fight higher than previous times. They went up the next floor to fight a large Wondrous Magus, and it flew around in its swaddled, jester like drapery in a cold burst.

"Whoa!" Ken and Junpei had to jump back as the ice power spilled across the golden tile.

Cesar tried to summon an electric current, but the Magus was flying rather quickly around them. It tried to sting Ezi's Persona, Lakshmi with oncoming ice blast, but the demon woman was immune and grabbed the Magus by the arms. Koromaru howled, summoning Cerberus, and the hellhound used dark mudo to zap the enemy away in one hit.

"Good boy!" Ken and Ezi praised the dog. They went up a couple more floors and then ended for the night, preparing for the upcoming school events the next day.

.

.

The days seemed to roll by quickly, and Maiko sent Ezi a text that she was leaving soon. After school one day, she went to meet her at the shrine, and the girl played with her on the playground as they always did. Ezi enjoyed pretending she wasn't stressed out, playing make-belief and climbing the bars and slides with Maiko.

"Ah!" The metal slide had burned the side of her leg.

"Uh-oh. Did you get an injury?" Ezi sat on the slide and Maiko grabbed her leg out by the heel. "My mom always blows on my ouchies when I get them! Here." Maiko did the same to her, and the cool breath did seem to make the pain die down.

"Ezi? We've played enough for you not to forget me, right?"

"Of course we have."

Maiko jumped up and hugged her. "Please don't forget about me!" She seemed sad, but the girl was smiling. "I'm leaving today… even if we're far away, we're still family."

"Yeah?"

"Yes! I'll always think of you as my old aunt." Ezi grimaced, and Maiko giggled. "I'm kidding! We're more like sisters!" She was trying not to cry.

"Sisters forever?" They tied their pinkies together. "I've never had a sister, but I guess I'd want a little one like you. You've grown up a lot, Maiko, from the cry baby you used to be."

"Hey!"

"I know you're going to miss this place, but you made a mature decision."

Maiko pulled something form her red backpack. "Here, I want you to have this." It was a yellow bead bracelet ring, like the one she had on. "You can wear it and think of me!"

"I will. And, when I eat Takoyaki, too."

"I'll save up money to get a plane ride to come back and see you someday! I'll miss you… goodbye."

Maiko left trying not to cry. It seemed another bond had drawn to a close, and Ezi would be able to create the Persona Attis, thanks to the girl at the shrine. She wondered if this really was the last Shadow; everyone of her friends from outside of SEES seemed to be leaving, and she had met so many people on the island she had made memories with…

Perhaps this adventure was drawing to a close. She wrote and drew it all down in her itinerary, just in case.

.

On the day of the match, the gym was packed. A lot of students missed their last period to go see the matches for the JV boxing team, and of course by nighttime, everyone was there for the varsity game. Yukari had saved seats for everyone under her spot on the bleachers, having her archery team beside her.

"I'm so pumped! I wish we had more games like this at the school." Junpei said.

"What?" Ken yelled. It was so loud they had to shout at each other.

"I'm just glad we get to see this one!" said Fuuka.

"Where are Ezi and Mitsuru-sempai? I saved seats for them too!"

"Still doing council stuff I guess!"

"Shall I go alert them of the event?" asked Aigis.

"No, Aigis… I'll guess they'll come if they want to."

"Oh, there he is!" Fuuka pointed to the varsity team that were jogging across the mat. They were all exuberant, pumping their fists together and waving their arms wildly at the crowd as they hopped to their bench. When Akihiko walked out, he simply waved, wearing nothing but his boxing shorts and gloves, and a mouth guard. The fan girls squealed with excitement and screamed how they loved him and wished him good luck. He waved to his SEES group, but he seemed to be distracted, looking for something else in the crowd. When he couldn't find it, he followed his team to the bench for warm-up.

At the student council meeting, everyone was finishing up.

"Hey, where is Chihiro?" Hidetoshi demanded. He and the other council members were setting up tents and stands on the sides of the school entrance.

"She has already gone to the boxing match, almost everyone has." One of the boys said.

"Bah! That's preposterous!" He said, checking his list. "What's the use of such an aggressive sport?"

"Akihiko has his match today." Mitsuru explained. "I already allowed everyone to go to the match, if they promised to work thoroughly with us on Sunday." She seemed to have cleaned herself off from all of the hauling, wearing her hair up and glistening with sweat.

"Y-you look excited to go, Kirijo-san." Hidetoshi mentioned.

"It will be nice to attend an event of a friend's. Leon-san, are you ready to go to the gym?"

"What? Oh," Ezi scrambled onto her feet, dusting off her knees. "Y-you sure we should? I mean, there's a lot of work…"

"Leon-san, working as hard as usual." Hidetoshi examined.

"We can't miss Akihiko's match…"

Even Mitsuru was excited to go. Maybe she was making too big of a deal out of everything that had happened. She did want to go, after all.

"Of course, let's go."

The matches were long and brutal. Akihiko's match was the last to take place, and both teams were tied. The guy Akihiko had to face was much taller than him, but just as lanky. They boxed for a good fifteen minutes. Everyone in SEES began to comment on the match.

"I can't watch!" Fuuka cried.

"He's being so careful, why doesn't he just punch the dude's lights out?" Junpei yelled.

"He's not in Tartarus, he's not trying to kill him, Stupei!"

"Indeed, if he messes up, they'll lose. It's not the same as fighting Shadows." Mitsuru pointed out.

"Come on, Akihiko!" Ezi cheered. "You can do it!"

"Go Akihiko-sempai!" Ken added.

They all continued to cheer, especially when he'd get knocked down and get back up again. There was so much cheering, it sounded like a dull scream through the ears and it was impossible to hear anything else in the gym.

At the end of the match, looking exhausted and beat, Akihiko in his shuffling, ducked and made a great upward strike into his opponent's chin, and he was knocked out; everyone knew it when they made contact, and because of it Akihiko won the match. The Gekkoukan students stood up and cheered when the referee held his arm up and faced him for the crowd to see. Despite his bloody nose and mouth, he was smiling with both arms raised. He looked like an excited child who'd won first place at the science fair. The giddy smile brought Ezi some relief, for some reason.

So many people went to congratulate boxing team after the matches were over, filling the gym with crowds of people. When the janitor finally turned the lights off, everyone began to leave the school, and the SEES team was able to reach Akihiko finally. He was saying a few words to his coach when he left him and they approached.

"Hey! Congratulations!" Fuuka and Yukari hugged him first.

"Dude, that was sweet! You are the boxing masta!" Junpei high-fived him.

"Well done, Akihiko." Mitsuru nodded her head. "Aragaki-san would be proud."

"Yeah, I know he is." Akihiko beamed. "Thanks for the support, everyone."

"You did so well! We should go out to celebrate!" Yukari suggested.

"No, that would be crazy. You know all of the students here are going to go out to dinner now. I wouldn't be able to catch a break."

"Then, I can prepare something at the dorm!" Fuuka decided.

"Don't trouble yourselves, really. I'm very tired, I'd rather go back and rest tonight, and we can celebrate on the weekend if we have time."

"Okay, if you insist." Mitsuru said. "It is getting late, we should all head home now."

"Yeah, I'm gonna clean up and I'll see you guys there."

"Okay," Junpei said as they left, "great match buddy!"

They were walking through the crowd, Ezi felt like her legs were filled with led, as she hadn't said anything to Akihiko—

"Ezi,"

She spun around quickly. "Akihiko-sempai—great match!"

"Thank you." He nodded. "Um, sorry… do you mind waiting a moment? I need to talk to you."

"Of course." She said quietly. She watched him retreat to the locker rooms, seeing girls and guys congratulate him over and over again. As the darkened gym cleared out, she waited on the wall underneath the basketball hoop that had been raised up for the match.

"You should get some rest, Ezi-san," Ms. Toriumi said as she walked out. "Can't have one of my brightest pupils missing school because of a sport match!"

"Of course, Toriumi-san. Have a good night."

She waited for a while, and Akihiko finally walked out with one of his boxing teammates. He was much taller than Akihiko, making Akihiko resemble more of a child to her.

"Oh," The teammate grinned when he saw Ezi, "I'll see you later, Aki."

"Bye." He left quickly. Akihiko was wearing his red shirt now, and she could see that he had showered.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's okay… what's up?" She was nervous. She didn't like this awkward feeling she had when she was around him, now.

"Let's head to the dorm." He said. They walked out, seeing no one really around the school anymore, and walked into the quiet night without a word.

"…So, I-I hear they're building a pool on the island, finally." He said.

"Yeah? That'll be nice when it gets warm again."

"Yeah, we could all go sometime."

"I'll wear a cute bathing suit-" It came out faster than she thought it. "That is, I'll wear a swim suit!"

"Y-yeah, don't worry about it." He chuckled, clearing his throat. "…Um, thanks for going to my match, I know how busy you are."

"It was a lot of fun, I'll admit."

"G-good, I'm glad…" He paused. "Ezi?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. I know I haven't been treating you fairly. I should have understood how you were grieving, rather than pushing you harder and harder to be like me."

"It's okay, I understand why you were doing it… You just didn't want me to get weak."

"Y-yeah, that's one of the reasons…"

"Well, I forgive you. Thanks for apologizing. I should too, I've been avoiding you because…"

"Because?"

"Because, I don't really know. I'm just confused, that's all. But, I remembered something when you were boxing."

"What?"

"I remembered what Shinjiro had told me. He said he wanted me to look out for you, and I haven't been doing a good job on keeping that promise lately. I'm going to be with you, and work hard for everyone else, too. I don't want anything that's happened the past month to get between us, alright?"

"Oh, right! I haven't liked us being so distant lately. With everything that's happened, if anything, we should all stick together."

"I agree."

He smiled. "Good."

They didn't—or couldn't bring themselves to—say much more on the subject. It was good enough that they were at least talking normally again, for now.

.

.

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TO BE CONTINUED!

HA! Maybe a home game for boxing is unrealistic, but I wanted that to happen! When I was in high school I was a nerd, but I played sports too. There's something exhilarating about everyone in one place cheering each other on! So I hoped you liked it~enjoy your week!


	26. Date 205: Full Moon-Stroke of 122

**A/N: Yay! Thanks for the reviews from last time~ I shouldn't be surprised that there are more Aki fans _ But I'm glad about that too~ Okay here's part 2, and the end of block 4!**

~Persona 3 Portable~

 **Date 20: Full Moon- The Stroke of Twelve (2)**

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"No no, hold the spear like this—" Ezi raised it higher as Ken was trying to use more stealth with his weapon. "See?"

The others were taking a break on one of the empty floors.

"Ikutsuki-san said he was very impressed by me." Ken was telling her. "He said I do very well… for an elementary student. It made me happy."

"Yeah? Sometimes he can be nice."

"Yamagishi, are there signs of any missing people around here?"

"No. In fact, I believe you are going to hit the block soon before the Shadow…"

"Does that mean we will be at the top of Tartarus?" Wondered Junpei.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, probably in respects to the solemn reality.

It was going to end soon.

"When cornered, an enemy will fight at its fiercest." Aigis stated. "This is a basic premise of warfare. Only one Shadow remains…"

"Yeah…" Yukari agreed.

"I'm sure it will be our toughest battle of all. Please make sure you are all prepared for it."

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The Halloween festival was approaching. One night she sensed a familiar presence in her room.

"…Good evening. It'll be a full moon again in just another week. At last, the 12th piece. Are you ready?"

"I… am…"

"Regardless of how long its been, a lot has happened, hasn't it?"

"It's a bit early to be reminiscing, isn't it?"

He chuckled. "That's what I was thinking… How about I come see you once it's over?"

"I'd like that… it'll be proof that we were victorious in the end, when I see you afterwards."

"Indeed. Be careful."

Pharos disappeared, and she felt mild relief. Still…

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The others seemed serious about the final moon approaching. Even Aigis, who Ezi caught staring off into the ceiling corner of their classroom afterschool.

"Aigis?"

"…Sorry, I was thinking."

"Thinking?" She shouldn't have been thinking Aigis was just a robot and couldn't do these like muse, but she was.

"I wonder if once we defeat the final enemy, that I will be able to keep attending school. I hope so."

"Hope so? You like being a student, Aigis?"

"Like?" She wondered.

"Hey you guys…" Yukari approached them. "Ezi, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Ah, shall I accompany you?"

"Actually, well…" Yukari seemed flustered.

"Uh, everything okay?" Ezi asked.

"Y-yeah! Sorry, I forgot what I was going to say. Should we all head out?"

They walked back to the dorm together, where Fuuka was having issues with Koromaru.

"He doesn't want to eat anything." She told the girls.

"Are you sick, boy?" Yukari asked.

Koromaru whined and rolled over. Ezi gently began massaging his belly, only to feel a long scar on his side.

"When did this happen? When we were fighting in Tartarus?"

Koromaru seemed to shake his head. He didn't seem to talk so Aigis could translate either.

"Could he have gotten it when he lived with the priest?" Fuuka suspected. The dog barked.

"Poor Koro-chan…" Yukari rubbed his head.

"He must miss him." Fuuka added. "Are we good replacements?" The dog swirled back onto his stomach and watched the girls with his tongue out.

"No, he must think of us as his friends."

"Woof." Koromaru stood up to rub onto Ezi's hand.

"What a good boy! We love you too, Koro-chan!"

They decided to take him for a walk to the shrine, and he seemed content, running around, then they rested before the big event that weekend.

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Halloween was on a Saturday.

The night was chilly, and the air smelled of smoked Tokayaki and hot caramel for candied apples.

The Gekkoukan High school Halloween Festival was underway! The front of the school was packed with costumed students and teachers, tents with games to win prizes and candy, trees filled with confetti and colorful wraps, and miniaturized carnival rides.

"This is it!" Junpei exclaimed. "Time to charm some ladies with a spell or two!" Junpei was walking with Ken; they were heading to the stands where the others were volunteering. Junpei was dressed up as a wizard, and Ken was a police officer.

"Trick or treating is for kids, but I guess dressing up is for everyone." Ken decided.

"Yeah, you're lookin like a sleek officer and a gentlemen!" Junpei declared. They approached the cooking club stand, where Fuuka was being helped by the music student to pass out pumpkin shaped cookies and sweet popcorn.

"Hey, Fuuka!"

Fuuka was dressed up as an ancient priestess, with a white kimono top and green pants. "Hey guys! Popcorn's on me if you want some!"

"I-I'll have one, thanks." Ken said.

"Fuuka-tan, you look so great!" Junpei said, slightly blushing.

"Thanks. Mitsuru helped me with it a little."

"Oh, we gotta go check out the others, see you later Fuuka!"

They ventured towards Ezi and Yukari at the Trick or Treat Café stand. They were selling warm coffee and coco, and they had a mini lottery ticket set up for anyone who wanted to win free candy and prizes.

"Heh, I guess that servant costume caught up to you, Yuka-tan."

"Oh, shut-up, Stupei!" Behind the counter, Yukari was wearing the maid outfit she loved so much. "I wanted to dress up as cupid, and instead I get this!" She grumbled. "How embarrassing."

"Hey, check out Yukari!" So many boys walked by and whistled at her, with a few catcalls as well.

"Why did you dress up as a maid if you didn't want to, Yukari-san?" Ken asked.

"Oh my gosh, you look so cute in your shades and police uniform, Ken-kun!" She giggled. She held up the tray she had to cover up most of her costume. "Anyway, it's a favor for the manager at Chargall. I told her I'd do it, and she wants more promotion for the café, so…"

"Well, I'm not complaining!" Junpei declared. "Hey, did you here? Some of the freshmen girls got spooked today at the school and decided to cancel their plans to come to the festival!"

"Seriously? A ghost story on Halloween night? How typical are you, Stupei?"

"I'm serious! They say they saw a black figure in the girl's locker room, and it chased them out! They were running and screaming down the halls!"

"As if!"

Ezi emerged from the back of the stand with a tray of two hot chocolates. "Here you are!" She gave them to the paying students and they went off. "Enjoy!"

"Um… Ezi-chan? What are you supposed to be, exactly?" Junpei asked.

Her make-up was a clown's, and she was dressed in a flabby pumpkin suit with a flat hat for the stem on top.

"I'm a pumpkin clown, Junpei," she stated, "I don't even know what the hell that is, but I'm that."

"Yeesh," He said.

"Oh, that's nice, Ezi-san." Ken said weakly.

"Don't test me, little boy." She sighed. "Hidetoshi got sick and so I have to be the clown for the kids entertainment and pass out balloons and stuff."

"You mean if the kids don't run away first?" Junpei bellowed out a laugh, and Ken chuckled a little too.

"You brats! Be gone! Before I curse you both!" she threw confetti at them.

"Ouch, my eyes!" Junpei cried as they ran away.

"I'm sorry, but thanks for helping me, Ezi." Yukari began brewing more coffee. "It's more packed here than I thought!"

"You're welcome." Ezi looked at the two guys approaching. One of them was Minato, the blue haired student, and the other was his friend from fencing club.

"Hey Yukari." The boy said sweetly. Yukari turned around and shrieked. "Oh! She caught herself. "H-hey guys, what are you up to?"

"Can we get a lottery ticket and two coffees?"

"I'll get it!" Ezi declared. "Keep our guests happy, Yukari!"

"What? No-" Minato approached the counter in front of her to talk. As Ezi waited for the brewing coffee, she watched Yukari chuckle nervously, until her conversation with Minato died down to casual, comfortable talk. His voice was hushed, and he was very relaxed, staring directly at Yukari's face, never her dingy outfit.

"I'll check out the ride with you after my shift!" She called to him as they left with their drinks.

Ezi grinned. "He's very polite, eh?"

"Don't be weird about it!" Yukari and Ezi went back to work. After their shifts, Ezi went to hand out the balloons. A two-year-old cried when she saw her, thankfully that was it; otherwise the kids were more fascinated by the balloon animals than her gaudy face.

She went to the bathroom and wiped the clown make-up off her face as soon as that shift was over. There was silence in the first floor hall in front of the teacher's lounge, but she could hear all of the laughing and partying in the central hall, where they were serving cotton candy and sweets at the lunch booth. She stalked carefully back out to the yard, thinking something might be crawling behind her in the empty hallway, and she was right.

But, when she turned around, nothing was there. The empty presence allowed her to think about the school becoming Tartarus, how there were still people missing, with many Apathy cases roaming around the island, how she would have to fight monsters again—if ghosts and ghouls were stalking her this night, it would only be an eighth of her problems.

Later outside at the tents, Mitsuru had gathered the SEES team.

"The tent company and sponsor's won't be here until tomorrow. I made sure of it, that way they won't be here for the Dark Hour to close up shop. We can clean everything up in less than an hour to make sure no one is on campus before then."

"Nice, work." Akihiko said. Everyone was sitting around the fountain. Akihiko was dressed as a vampire, and Mitsuru was a gorgeous empress.

"We gotta get a photo of us! The festival is almost over!" Junpei declared. Everyone crammed around Yukari's phone and took several photos of themselves. Then everyone ventured around the festival: Fuuka watched the musical guy's mini concert with the Halloween songs, Yukari and Minato played many of the stand games together, Junpei and Ken played with the fireworks and then went to carve pumpkins, and Akihiko and Mitsuru were helping the staff begin to clean up some areas, as well as participate in the raffle.

"Nice work, everyone." Mitsuru announced. "Enjoy the rest of the festival, we can finish cleaning later."

"You sure?" Ezi said. "I'm okay with starting now."

"Do not fret about time and the Dark Hour." Mitsuru whispered to her. "Go have fun."

Ezi nodded, but she didn't know whom to hangout with. With all of the acquaintances she had made on the island, she was alone on one of it's busiest nights.

"Ezi-san," Akihiko was behind her, holding a small pumpkin.

"Hey!" She felt a sudden relief seeing him.

"You're spacing out again; what are you doing?"

"N-nothing! What's with the pumpkin?"

"They're closing up the carving pumpkins stand, want to make one? We could put them in the dorm."

She grinned. "I like that idea! Let's do ittt!"

They carved pumpkins and talked about what they had been doing throughout the festival: Ezi talked about the balloons for the children, and Akihiko talked about how so many girls wanted to take selfies with him everywhere. His pumpkin's grin was carved with vampire teeth, and Ezi made hers with a clown face, despite her lack of appeal towards clowns.

"We could even put different colored lights in these! It'll look like a party!"

Akihiko laughed. "I just realized it's Halloween, so the point of having jack-o-lanterns in the dorm will look weird after tomorrow."

"Oh my gosh!" They both started laughing. "Damn it! Well it's a damn good pumpkin, so I'll have to keep it up, regardless." She looked up at the dark sky. "We'll have to start cleaning up soon."

"Yeah, might as well get started now." He said. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Carving the pumpkins with me, I guess. I wasn't sure if you thought it would be silly."

"Not at all." She said. They were walking by the entrance of the school, and Ezi looked in to avoid eye contact with him. As she brushed back the hair on the side of her head, she saw a black tall figure just standing inside of the empty entryway of the school. She gasped, and the figure darted towards the PE hallway.

"Ezi, what is it?"

"That-!" She darted into the building.

"Ezi, where are you going?"

She knew Akihiko was following her, but she couldn't wait for him—she ran into the hallway, and catching herself from sliding, she saw the figure standing at the end of the hallway—it was the same cloaked figure she saw in Tartarus, the same one she saw on the Yakushima island, and before that, too. The figure in the blackness was holding onto the handle of the gym, facing her.

"Wait!" She sprinted after him, watching him fly into the dance party that was occurring inside. The music was blaring when she flew into the dark room, and it was crowded with high school students dancing around and flashing lights.

She brushed and squeezed by black cats, Frankenstein monsters, fairies and ghoulish characters with bloody faces. The masks that people wore reminded her of Shadows, how they wore the masquerade masks to cover their unknown faces. She pulled the Shadow's shoulder down to face her when she saw him—

"Hey! What the hell?" It was just a student dressed up as Dracula.

"Sorry-" She waved him off and continued looking. The music banged in her ears, she could see shadows and masks, dry-humping animals and twisted laughter from flirtatious princesses and clowns- she couldn't find the black figure again—They were all laughing at her, or maybe with her?

"-There you are!" Akihiko grabbed her arm. "What's gotten into you? Why did you run off like that?"

"I—"

"What?"

She couldn't hear him. She grabbed his arm and lead him back out into the hallway. Now there were more people in costumes standing around with punch outside of the gym.

She realized she was out of breath. "Sorry, Akihiko, I thought I saw…"

"What? What would make you run off like that? Ezi…"

There was concern in his voice, but she was embarrassed. Why didn't she want to tell him about the black figure?

"I thought I saw someone familiar…"

"Who?"

"Um…" She griped the sides of her pumpkin costume.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me now if you don't want to. But, I wish you would."

She looked up. "I saw a black figure run down here!"

He snorted, laughing. "Oh no, not you too. Junpei said some girls got spooked today by the same thing."

"No, I've seen it before, in Tartarus! I'm not just seeing things, sempai! I know it's real, and I know it sounds crazy, but…"

"With everything we've been through so far? Seeing Shadows in the regular time wouldn't surprise me at all."

"Then, you believe me?"

"Sure I do. I'm not one to believe in ghosts or silly things like that, but maybe there's someone following us."

"My thoughts exactly!"

"Heh, you don't have to be shy to tell me these sort of things, okay? It would benefit the team if we all had known this sooner. You can tell me this stuff at least, anyway, and I won't make fun of you."

"Okay." She pouted her lip. "Sorry. I guess I'm trying to still do some things myself. Anyway, I guess he got away again."

"It's okay, we'll keep an eye out for whoever it is, okay? Don't strain yourself about it when we have the last Shadow to fight in two days."

"Yes, sempai, you're right! I'm focused!"

He chuckled. "Come on, let's head back out to help start cleaning up."

She was glad things had become fairly normal between them. The SEES team stayed with the few teachers and student council, clearing everyone out at the end of the festival, wishing everyone a safe night and a Happy Halloween.

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They fought three Champion Knights, a Minotaur, a red tank and standing hourglasses. The SEES team had accomplished many triumphant blows together, as well as an all-out-attack. Theo had warned Ezi about an acquaintance of hers being in Tartarus; Mutatsu had gone missing apparently, and they had found him crouched inside a corner of Tartarus.

They sent the monk back downstairs, and while Ezi felt relief, they had one more floor to get to, where the supposed sealed pathway would be, but Fuuka couldn't sense anything.

"Whoa, are we-?" Junpei and the others walked around the final floor. The golden pillars surrounded them on the pathway, but there was no ceiling they reached, only a dark cloudy night sky with no moon; there were two pillars like a doorway in front of them, but there was no wall beyond them, just open air.

"This must be it… The final floor." Junpei realized. "Its bittersweet, but I'm glad I got to kick ass and destroy the Shadows in this place.

Junpei dared to step passed the pillars and look down below.

"Dude! Don't look down. You can see the rest of Tartarus below."

"Then, we really are done?" Ken reminisced. "This means we'll have to do our best on this final Shadow."

"Yes. This may be the last time we enter this mystical tower." Mitsuru said. Everyone was quiet, probably trying to remember all the sweat and blood they put into making it this far.

"It went by quickly." Ezi said.

"It's been two and half years since I got these powers; you don't hear me complaining." Akihiko said.

"What about you, sempai?" Junpei turned to Mitsuru.

"Me? Yes… I was apart of it before Akihiko."

"Did the Chairman recruit you?" Yukari asked.

"No… I've been aware of the Dark Hour since I was a kid. My father's research team was attacked by Shadows, and my Persona power awakened because of it."

"Back when you were just a kid?" Ezi said sadly.

"Yes. Perhaps if I hadn't awakened to this power, you all wouldn't have to bare this burden…"

"It would have happened to someone eventually." Akihiko said. "Maybe it was good it fell upon us to take care of this. We're all strong enough to handle it."

"Yes, that's what I was thinking." Ezi recalled how Igor had told her there had been other Persona-users in the past.

"Yes. You're right." Mitsuru smiled wryly. Everyone seemed to be having quite a passionate moment, and they would hold onto it until the full moon.

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It was cultural day, and the team stayed in the dorm until the Dark Hour of the night of the full moon. Fuuka used Juno to locate the Shadow's presence on the south side of the Moonlight Bridge. The 12th and final Shadow. Ikutsuki wished them luck as they ventured through the dark streets to the bridge; a rather long pathway resembling the Golden Gate Bridge.

Takaya and Jin, the two remaining members of Strega, were waiting for them on the blood dripping concrete.

"You know the significance of today, do you not? You claim to hunt the Shadows to prevent the disaster they bring… yet, countless lives are lost each day without their intervention. You foolish children! Erasing the Dark Hour would be to erase yourselves."

"I can see the Shadow…" Fuuka whispered to her team.

"Let's split up!" Akihiko decided.

"Yeah… girls, come with me!" Ezi decided. They started marching to the other end of the bridge.

"Get back here!" Jin snapped.

"You've talked enough!" Akihiko summoned Cesar first, and Jin summoned his Persona: Moros, a satellite, robotic thing with one arm. The zio casted on it was absorbed by Moros, and it slung the electricity back. The others moved out of the way, and Aigis used Palladion to absorb the attack before she could receive damage.

"It appears you have more than just luck on your side… So be it!" Takaya crouched on the floor in pain, and raised his arms up to summon his Persona: Hypnos. The green humanoid dangled from two weird, wire-like wings and summoned fire. It encircled Ken and Akihiko, but Koromaru's Cerberus blew away the fire and embraced the flames.

Hypnos summoned an all mighty power, something they hadn't seen before exactly, and it encircled the two boys in the flames. They summoned their Persona's for protection before the megidola explosion could reach them. Junpei summoned Hermes to grapple with Hypnos as the girls moved forward.

They saw it in the sky, and there were three small stone statues that resembled the Virgin Mary standing tall below it. The Shadow was latex like black body, strung up by its stretchy skin to a metal cross, which was attached to a circular propeller with angel wings keeping it afloat. Its head was twisted backwards and it had a white mask on its head facing upwards towards them.

It wasn't the Shadow itself, but the entire setting seemed familiar—

"Leon-san!" Mitsuru cried. The Shadow had used wind, and it cut her up and she rolled onto the ground, unconscious.

"Be careful!" Fuuka said to the others. Mitsuru went out to strike the Shadow with bufu, but the statues absorbed all of their energy attacks when they aimed for the Shadow in the sky. Koromaru was licking Ezi's face, but she didn't wake up yet.

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 _How could I have been so distracted all of a sudden?_

 _"Maybe, you're still afraid…"_

 _She was sitting in a chair that reminded her of the Velvet Room, and she could sense Pharos standing behind her._

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Akihiko used Cesar to block the fire attacks from Takaya.

"I'll be damned if I have to face Shinji before I defeat the likes of you!" He was marching tiredly towards the two enemies.

"Yeah! Aragaki-san, I won't give up!" Ken joined him.

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" _You want to be strong for your friends, but you're still afraid. Afraid you'll fail them like you did him…"_

 _"Pharos…"_

 _"The fall is still coming, you have that to be afraid of as well, I suppose…"_

 _._

Mitsuru stepped forward and slashed at the statues with her rapier, and Aigis shot at them. Lo came down and smashed two of them, and the Shadow above began to shake like it was going to fall as they defeated it's support. Cerberus was summoned, and the dog used its fiery breath to melt the remaining statue.

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 _"Unfortunately, I cannot do much to help you in this, accept to say that I be by your side when it happens… The rest and how you face it will be up to you…"_

 _._

Ezi woke up.

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Jin was carrying an injured Takaya to the edge of the bridge.

"Don't do it! You'll die!" Junpei exclaimed.

They watched as the Strega members fell into the water depths below, probably to their deaths.

"Sempai!" Yukari cried. Mitsuru had flown back from a strange yellow power that come down on them like an explosion. Ezi wobbled back up, and wondered who she was for a moment, then she walked up to the others.

"Ezi!" Aigis was a bit static from all the hits she had taken, but she continued to fire at the hanging Shadow above.

"Are you okay?" Yukari asked, shooting her arrow at another statue that had been summoned by the Shadow.

"Yes… thank you all." She put the evoker to her head and summoned Rakshaa, the powerful warrior of red mist, and it smashed with the powerful strike of the Shadow like two fists colliding. As it was distracted, Aigis began to climb the bridge's architecture with her inhuman ability, and began to fire at the propeller angel wings keeping it up in the sky. The Shadow roared as it crashed into the bridge.

Lo used a powerful wind she had not mustered before, and Penthesilea used ice to; Cerberus used his fire, and Aigis continued to shoot—then Ezi summoned Siegfried to help with the finishing blow, stabbing and then slashing into the large Shadow with an amazon blade and clearing the bridge of its darkness.

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"…Is it over?" Junpei and the boys gathered with everyone else.

"Mission Complete." Aigis told them. "I believe we need a victory cheer. Ezi-san, what shall it be?"

Ezi was still trying to process everything. "…Let's eat!"

"1…2…3… Let's eat!" Aigis declared.

Yukari laughed. "W-what was that?"

"Good call! Sempai, you're gonna throw us a party tomorrow, right?"

"You don't waste anytime, Iori-san. Well, I suppose I could arrange something. How does sushi sound?"

"I haven't had it in a while." Akihiko smirked. "I got dibs on the halibut and sea urchin!"

"I want the fatty tuna!" Yukari said.

"You're divvying it up already?" Fuuka judged. "I want the salmon then, please!"

"No fair!" Junpei yelled.

"I reserve the shrimp, scallops and eel." Aigis stated.

"That's not fair, you don't even eat!" He insisted.

"You should all be ashamed… fighting over sushi…" Ken shook his head. "Sempai, could you order some tomago for me? I'd love to compliment the chef if they can cook the eggs right."

Mitsuru was smiling with amusement. "Okay, okay. I'll have the very best delivered tomorrow…" She looked up into the sky, and the others seemed to join. "…I guess, it's time to say goodbye to the Dark Hour. Even though it seemed like a curse, I'm reluctant to let it go."

"Yeah… We really did it, didn't we?" Ezi smiled. "I guess its sad because we've all bonded through this experience, even if it was difficult."

"Yes. We saved the world, even if no one knows it." Mitsuru concluded.

The battle was over. The Dark Hour was at its end.

 **.**

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She wanted to scream, seeing Pharos in her room the next morning.

"Good morning."

"Ah! You're here! In the daytime! But, I thought I couldn't see you in the daytime!"

"I know. It's the first time we've talked during the day."

For a moment she wondered if someone would walk in and see the mysterious boy, and maybe she wouldn't feel so manic over the fact she was the only one who could see him.

"Nice weather, isn't it?" He continued. "It is indeed a new day, for both of us. You seemed to overcome your fears, and all the fragments of my memory… They've finally come together."

"What?"

"I know my role clearly. The time has come."

"Pharos, you have to let me know who you are…"

"As difficult as it may be, I must tell you something…"

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid, this is goodbye."

"Goodbye?" She frowned. "Because we defeated all the Shadows, you're just gonna leave?"

"Yes. I want you to know… for me, our friendship was a miracle. But, miracles don't last forever. If only they did." He sounded truly disappointed by this fate.

"Its like you told me before… everything has its end." She pondered. "So, I won't get to see you anymore?"

"I shall treasure our conversations always. Even if today is the end, the bond between us can never be severed." He looked up at her with teary, wet eyes. "…Remember that."

She jumped out of bed and knelt down to hug him. Even though he looked pale and dead, he was as warm as the sun coming in from the window.

It was overwhelming. She wanted to cry, but she didn't, and she smiled at him as she let go of him.

"It was fun while it lasted." He said. "Farewell… my dearest…"

She may have been seeing things before, like the figure in black, but she knew he had been real.

She blinked, and Pharos was gone.

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Ezi felt glee as she attended her regular classes in the day; everything seemed brighter now that the Dark Hour was gone. She was indeed yearning to battle again, under less strenuous circumstances, but for now, the peace would have to do.

Akihiko asked that they walk home together, before the party that evening would begin. They were walking to the dorm together, but ended up at the shrine instead. They had conversed about their adventures in Tartarus, particularly, the larger shadow fights, and how accomplished they felt in having kept almost everyone safe or far from serious injury, and defeated so many monsters. When they got to the shrine, Akihiko settled himself in by resting on the stair rail of the jungle gym. Ezi could see the spot above him where she and Shinjiro had spent the night there.

"Um, first of all, thank you for coming with me." He scratched the back of his head, looking down.

"I'm happy to be here." She said sweetly. She could tell he was troubled by something, which was odd since they had just defeated the last Shadow.

"I-I see," He responded, "why are you always so..?" He faded off to his musings.

"So..?"

He seemed at a lost, still facing the ground. "Okay, I haven't been able to arrange it all in my head, but…" He took a deep breath, and began slowly, "I've told you before about Miki, right?"

"Yes."

"I was the only person she had. There weren't any kids her age at the orphanage, so she didn't have any friends. She'd always play with me or Shinjiro, always calling me big bro…" He bit his lip, a notion, Ezi realized, was him trying to be strong.

"…Why, did she have to die?"

Ezi's heart squished together, a melting sensation that felt horrible and elated in her chest.

"She never knew her parents' faces, or had good food to eat, or got to have any toys. She had nothing, and yet she never got a chance…"

"Akihiko…" She wanted him to be okay, not to be suffering like this.

"Isn't there some saying? Like, about how living is a kind of sin?"

"Akihiko…"

"She's dead and gone, I can accept that, but, I can't do anything about this anger and sadness that I feel for the rest of my life…"

Anger and sadness… it came up every once in a while, the times she was alone or listening to music, but she tried to ignore them.

"Here's what I wanted to tell you. I thought I wanted you to bear that burden with me, like we were connected, and I know that's a terrible thing to ask of you… I'm sorry."

"Hey—" She grabbed him by the shoulders. "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself about Miki! I know it hurts, I know, and you can't feel bad about wanting me to help you with how you feel. We are connected, okay?"

He looked shocked, but he continued to stare at her, intently.

"It's always going to hurt, you're never going to get over the pain completely, and you don't need to apologize for it, especially not to me. You don't need to get over it, but you can live with it, alright? You can't tell me that everything we've done in the Dark Hour wasn't a good enough reason to be alive. Living is not a sin, okay?"

He looked at her hands gripping his arm. "I'm sorry-"

"Stop apologizing!" She almost shook him. "I understand your pain because of what happened to my brother, Luke, too. He was murdered by robbers; I always think that if I was there, then I could have done something, and now I'm always trying to protect you guys, my friends, but I can't do it alone. It's okay."

"Thanks, Ezi-san. I don't know why I wanted to tell you, I guess you sort of remind me of Miki- No, that's not it. Then what is this feeling..?" He was speaking slowly, still. "Hey, you still miss Shinjiro, right?"

"Of course I do. But, he wouldn't want me to be missing him and not living my life, just like I'm sure Luke wouldn't be, and the same goes for Miki with you. Shinjiro… " she swallowed, "…liked me, but he didn't want me to be with him. He had other plans that he decided upon because of the regrets he had. I know you want to think that was the right choice he made, but his regrets plagued him, and now he's…" She looked down, and let go of him. "I don't want you to do the same thing because of your sadness, Akihiko. Regret is a hard thing, but we have to live with it, and do the best thing we can with it for others, together."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm… not sorry, but I felt I needed to say it. Even though the Shadow is defeated, I still have this ache within me…"

"You can talk to me any time, you know that." She grinned. "We've all been through enough together!"

"Yeah." He smiled. "W-we should probably head back for the party."

They met almost everyone back at the dorm to have their sushi party. She and Akihiko prepared the table with a cloth and plates and drink, Ken and Junpei sort of cleaned up the lounge and dining room, and Mitsuru and Yukari went to pick up the sushi.

Fuuka returned late, around 9, and Ken and Junpei began harassing her about her date with the music man.

"Did you guys smoochie-smooch?" Junpei asked.

"I'm curious too! But, only if you want to tell, Yamagaishi-san." Ken said nicely.

"Guys, leave her alone!" Ezi chided. "We're all having a good day, don't ruin it!"

"T-thanks, Ezi-chan…" Fuuka blushed.

Yukari and Mitsuru returned with many groceries, all containing the gourmet sushi that made an elaborate, colorful display on the dining table. The finest sushi was placed on the table.

"Where's Aigis?" Akihiko asked.

"She and Ikutsuki-san went to the lab to make some adjustments on her, but he said they'll be back for the party."

"Great!" Let's dig-in until they get here!" Junpei decided. It was then that Mr. Kirijo appeared through the front door, his serious exterior halting any form of excitement.

"Oh, hello," Ezi said hesitantly.

"Father, I'm glad you could make it." Mitsuru said.

"I just wanted to congratulate you all on your victory, and more importantly, I wanted to say… thank you. With your efforts, this shadow business can be put to rest, finally. You fixed the mistakes of the Kirijo Group where I could not."  
"Don't put so much blame on yourself for your father's mistakes, sir." Akihiko said.

"Yeah, what he said!" Junpei declared.

Mr. Kirijo clasped Yukari's hands. "I owe you a special thanks. Thank you for lending us your power until the very end."

"Oh, it's no big deal." Yukari seemed sheepish.

"The SEES team will be dissolved as of midnight tonight."

"Dissolved?" Junpei echoed.

"No longer will you need to risk your lives in battle. Tomorrow, you can triumphantly return to a normal school life."

Everyone was quiet until Mitsuru spoke: "Alright, everyone, your feast awaits you."

"I've been waiting for this!" Junpei declared. "Come eat sushi with us, s-sir!"

Mr. Kirijo actually smiled, sincerely. "Alright, I suppose I could…"

"The tuna's mine, though!"

The team engaged in a long party of dining and drinking refreshments upon their entrees of fresh sushi and rice dumplings and egg rolls. They played a few card games while they sampled their eats, despite becoming fuller and fuller by the hour.

"I wonder what's taking Ikutsuki-san so long," Ken said thoughtfully, chewing on a roll.

"Man, I wanted to take a picture before midnight!" Junpei carped.

"Its not like we can only take one picture, Stupei!"

"Hey, you're right, Yuka-tan! But, the cameras won't work during the Dark hour. Let's take one now!" Junpei scrambled through his pack for a camera. "I borrowed it from the photography club while I was investigating your stalker!"

"Oh, how convenient," Ezi said sarcastically.

"Sir, would you mind talking a photo of all of us here? We can take another one when Aigis and Ikutsuki-san are here!"

"Alright," the man said, adjusting to the camera as if it were a foreign object. As he was fixated, the SEES team gathered around in the lounge to take a photo.

"Let's make this quick." Mr. Kirijio readied the camera. "Say… cheese?"

"Everyone squeeze together close to me to fit in the picture!" Junpei teased.

"Does that mean me too?" Akihiko asked.

"Uh… no… not you…Wait! I want the camera to get my good side!" Junpei tried to force his way to the front of the group, but Mitsuru and Yukari both kept there place, and he lost balance. As Mr. Kirijo took the photo, Junpei was sent falling backwards, and the picture was of everyone else's horrified faces as they turned to see Junpei on the floor.

"Well, that was splendid." Ezi took a bite from her sushi. Ken was laughing, and Akihiko had been the only one posing for the picture.

"Thank you, father." Mitsuru said, taking the camera. "We'll just wait for Aigis to show up before we take more."

"Where are they?" Junpei rubbed the bump on his head, "It's almost midnight for crying out loud!"

"Yeah…" Ezi looked out the window.

Midnight. It was going to be a regular night, but she couldn't help but wonder if the sky would still change. Still, she spent a moment of relaxation with her battle-weary friends.

"I have to head back to the office," Kirijo said. "Thank you all again for your hard efforts."

They said goodbye and began to clean up a little, leaving some of the food that was left out. They hung out for another half an hour, Fuuka and Ezi cleaned dishes and cleaned off the table tops while they relaxed.

 _Tick, tock, tick…_

The clock on the mantel, above the lounge desk. She pictured the first night she had met Pharos, how the contract had been signed, how he was smiling at her now.

12:00.

The sky was green and the moon was larger and brighter than the yellow sun. It shone across the island, blood from unknown origins trickled across buildings and street blocks. Coffins aligned in hotels and train stations, and the shadows of the night roamed around in agonizing threat.

"No!" Fuuka gasped.

"It's… the Dark Hour?" Ken sounded so sad, so distraught. "H-how can that be?"

"I-I don't know…" Mitsuru kept a serious glare as she looked out the window, but she was just as petrified as everyone. Ezi felt excited, somehow, as if she knew it wasn't going to change.

"But, we defeated all of the Shadows, how?" Akihiko clenched his fist. "I knew I had a strange feeling still!"

"Do you hear that? It sounds like a bell, but where's it coming from? What should we do..?" Yukari asked no one particular.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Mitsuru finally said.

"Yeah," Ezi said quietly. "We have to go to Tartarus to get to the bottom of this."

The confused and anxious bunch scurried over to the entrance to Tartarus. There was Aigis, at last, on the night they were supposed to be celebrating. She was standing beside Ikutsuki-san above the stairs on Tartarus, on the entranceway. Something was amiss, indeed, and Ikutsuki knew what it was.

"Ikutsuki-san, Aigis, why are you here?" Yukari asked.

"Mr. Chairmen, you know what's going on, don't you?" Mitsuru scowled. "Tell us!"

"She's here merely to fulfill her role as a weapon." Ikutsuki began, smiling.

"What the hell is this all about?" Junpei demanded.

"You said the Dark Hour and Tartarus would disappear if we defeated the 12 Shadows." Akihiko recalled. "That's why we fought so hard! But now—"

"What is your intention?" Mitsuru demanded. "It was all a lie, wasn't it? You knew the Dark Hour wouldn't disappear!"

"Excellent deduction, Mitsuru." The sinister Chairman said. "Unfortunately, your realization has come too late."

"You tricked us?" Ken cried out.

"Bastard, what the hell is this?" Ezi couldn't believe it. How had she not seen _this_ coming?

 _"…Soon, the poisonous flowers will bloom. One in your own garden, and three in the garden opposite yours..."_

She thought it had been a dream, but Pharos had warned her about this long before. Maybe, she had known something was still amiss all along…

"Everything is as I planned. I never intended for you to rid the world of Tartarus and the Dark Hour… quite the opposite, actually. The 12 Shadows were destined to be reunited, and that was accomplished in no small part, thanks to your efforts. Soon, **Death** , the almighty, shall rise and bring forth the Fall…"

"No… it can't be… Pharos?" Ezi thought of the boy who had mentioned the end to her as well; but at the time, she thought it meant the end of the Dark Hour?

Death was coming…

"What are you talking about?" Akihiko snapped.

"The end of all shall come and free this world from despair. The death of everything… but also the beginning."

"He's out of his mind…" Yukari said aloud.

"All those years ago, I too was a scientist for the project we've spoken of. I was there when the Dark Hour was born. The experiment manifested the many Shadows as it was meant to. That is why your grandfather, Mitsuru, gathered so many Shadows… to bring about the Fall."

"That can't be true…" Mitsuru was frozen.

Shuji Ikutsuki gave a wild smile to all of them. "People have filled the world, yet turned it into a void of pain and destruction! You all know this too well… in your time of living, surely you've faced pain and anguish dealt to you by others who corrupt this world! The only hope for salvation lies in ruin!"

"Psychopath…" She almost believed him, thinking of the thugs that attacked her friends, the death of her brother and lover, and the accident that took her parents away…

"According to the prophecy… the Fall will be orchestrated by **the Prince.** And once the Prince has delivered us all, he shall rule the new world as a King! The man who tried it ten years ago failed; but I will not—I SHALL SUCCEED!"

"He's lost it!" Junpei said angrily.

"If you follow me a bit longer, you too shall find salvation."

"What's going to happen?" Ezi screamed. "What did you make us do?"

"You'll soon see for yourself…"

Yukari stepped towards him. "My father's video! He told us to defeat the Shadows; was that a lie too?"

"Ah… he did record himself. Of course, I had to make some video edits and modifications."

"You doctored it?" Mitsuru said.

"I corrected it! Your father was a brilliant scientist. I truly respected him, but he could not comprehend the magnificent potential of the Fall…"

"What?" Yukari was trembling.

"He left that recording at the expense of his life! How could you?" Mitsuru defended.

"It would seem so… but it did prove useful in the end. I'm sure he's happy."

"You were behind it all? You used me, and my father?"

"It was for the sake of the world, so how could it be wrong?"

"We are here to correct the mistakes of the past," Mitsuru held her evoker to her head, "so, I won't let you do this!"

"I'm with you!" Ezi exclaimed.

"How disappointing…" He sighed, "…but, you are just children, after all. I suppose it can't be helped. Aigis! It is time for you to fulfill your role: capture them and prepare them for the sacrifice!"

"Understood." Aigis said robotically; her eyes were a dull blue, like she was in a trance. "Energy output… at maximum."

"Aigis, no!" Fuuka cried, but Aigis took a battle stance, and blasted the earth with her guns, causing a blinding light. Ezi heard everyone scream, and then it was too late-

 **.**

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Ezi couldn't breathe, and there was a pain in her stretched out arms.

When she woke up, she was being crucified.

The others were bound around her as well, waking up.

"What the hell?" Akihiko said.

Yukari shrieked.

"Let us down, please!" Fuuka cried.

Oh no. She hadn't been fast enough. They were all caught in Ikutsuki's web now, being chained to crosses, on the balcony of Tartarus, outside.

"Aigis, help us!" Ken yelled. But Aigis stood beside Ikutsuki, motionless, the light gone from her crystal blue eyes.

"Father!" Mitsuru was trying to lung towards them. Aigis had the man restrained before their very eyes.

"I had to rework Aigis a little, now she only listens to me." Ikutsuki explained, mockingly.

"What are you planning to do with them?" Mr. Kirijo was wiggling his shoulders, but Aigis was too strong.

"The Prince that will bring the Fall will need sacrifices to begin his ascension, then, all will be well."

"You nut job! Let us go!" Ezi tried strangling free of the chains, but to no avail.

"You son of a bitch!" Junpei was frustrated. "I'm gonna tear your head off!"

No. Everything was falling apart again-

"I should have known you'd do something like this, Chairmen." Kirijo said, irritated.

"The Kirijo Group are saviors; they unleashed the Dark Hour that could be revealed to bring upon the End of everything. You should all just embrace it, there's no stopping it! What a shame his own son can't accept his fate!"

Damn. What could she do? Ikutsuki's madness had been unexpected, but still, she should have been ready. Now, they were going to die. If only she could remember—the blue, the power, anything she had lost in her memories, to get out of this-!

"Aigis! Go ahead and give this man his honorable deliverance!"

"Wait, please! Aigis! Nooo!" Mitsuru was screaming frantically, straining at her bonds.

Aigis hesitated to shoot, and she just stood there.

"What are you doing, Aigis?" Ikutsuki snarled.

"I… Am…" Aigis lowered her guns in confusion.

"Fine! I'll do it myself!" Ikutsuki had a gun in his pocket, a real gun. "Fourteen long years I've waited! I'm not like your father, I won't make any exceptions!"

Mr. Kirijo freed himself from Aigis and pulled out a gun, suddenly. Both adults fired, both falling backwards into the floor.

"FATHER!" Mitsuru cried.

"A-Aigis-!" The injured Ikutsuki grunted. He'd been shot in the stomach. "Finish the sacrifices! Let's end this!"

Aigis pointed her machine gun towards Ezi.

"NO!" Junpei screamed. "Snap out of it!"

"Aigis, please don't!" Akihiko was straining himself to get free.

Ezi said nothing. She felt her heart stop as she looked into Aigis' cold blue eyes.

"Aigis… You said you'd protect me, no matter what, remember?" She whispered.

"Ezi-san… Ezi…" Aigis sounded like she was crying.

"Finish them, Aigis!" Ikustuki coughed up blood.

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The robot kept her gun forward, and she shot.

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The bullets aim was perfect, and the SEES team dropped down from their crosses, unharmed. Aigis had aimed at the restraints that had bound them.

"Father!" Mitsuru ran to her fallen parent, trying to wake him by shaking him.

"You're all alone now, and you're injured on top of that." Akihiko said to the Chairman proudly.

Even though he was on his knees, dying, he managed to laugh. "You don't get it, do you? It's useless to search for hope or reasons to live in this pathetic world! It must be started over from the beginning! I will rule over the new world!" He laughed weakly, and stretched his hand out towards the sky. "I was… so close…" He tried to grasp the moon in his grip, and slowly fell.

…They stood, unsure of what to do, as Mitsuru cried helplessly over her father's body.

The night was cold.

"My father swore something to me." Mitsuru was rocking as she held him in her lap. "He swore that he would atone for endangering our generation, even if it cost him his life… But I… wanted him to live… I became a Persona-user to protect him…" She was sobbing uncontrollably. Mitsuru, their senior who was usually so composed even in the roughest battles, was now slumped on the floor, crying like a child.

Everyone was at a loss for words. Akihiko picked up the stunned Mitsuru.

The Dark Hour was reaching another end. But, maybe it would never truly end after all.

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 **THE END**

 **OF BLOCK 4 (finally, phew!)**

 **I kind of wish it was close to Halloween so I could have posted this close to the holiday. I know they don't really celebrate Halloween in Japan (I guess its mostly an adult/commercial holiday... not that they don't celebrate it at all), but I figured since they're on a man-made island technically it's not Japan so there haha. I couldn't miss a chance to insert parts for that non-canon festival!**

 **Just like this last block I may have to break the next few chapters into parts, but I don't think it will be as bad as this last one... well, There's a lot to fit into this one too, so it might actually take some time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one! See you in Block 5!**

 ** _Farewell, My Dearests~_**


	27. Block 5: Date 21: The White Rabbit, Ryoj

**~Persona 3 Portable~**

 **Block V: The Wonderland Holidays**

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Date 21:

The White Rabbit, Ryoji

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"Did you hear? The President of Kirijo died of an illness this week."

"That's our student council president's dad, right? I guess she won't be in school for a while."

Of course, Ezi had been hearing gossip like that all throughout the school day. Akihiko had everyone meet in the command room that evening. She wondered if Mitsuru would be okay. She wondered what the future would bring, knowing that their whole mission had been a lie.

"Aigis is in the lab, and the Chairman's things have been cleared out." Fuuka explained.

"That makes sense, considering what he did." Akihiko said with disdain.

Yukari sighed. "I can't believe any of this…"

"Its all in the papers. They say the CEO of Kirijo died of illness." Ken said.

"It's never the truth…" Akihiko pondered.

"Nope." The boy shook his head.

"I guess Mitsuru is…" Ezi tried to say something.

"Yeah. She'll be dealing with the affairs of Kirijo and funeral planning." Akihiko answered. "She'll be gone for at least a week."

"That sounds rough… poor Mitsuru." Yukari said.

"Sorry to bring this up," Ezi said timidly, "but I was thinking about what Ikutsuki said last night… he called us sacrifices and was going to have Aigis execute us."

"Don't remind me." Yukari said quickly.

"Well, what if he was working with those guys that attacked the dorm before? They were gonna use me as a sacrifice too, remember?"

"Hey, you're right." Akihiko's fists tightened. "Damn, what does this all mean?"

She thought about Pharos' metaphor of the garden. It hadn't made sense before, but apparently Ikutsuki was the poisonous flower… Pharos had always been warning her about things, but only things she had sensed herself. Had she always been wary of Ikutsuki, not just for his bad jokes?

"So, what do we do now?" Junpei asked the room.

"We have no idea how to get rid of the Dark Hour." Yukari said sadly. "We don't even know what we're fighting against!"

"There are so many unanswered questions." Fuuka said.

"We… we need time to process all of this." Ezi decided. "We can't figure it out in a day, after all."

"True." Akihiko nodded. "But, there is one thing for certain: Tartarus is still there, and there are a bunch of Shadows inside it. We should train to prepare for whatever may be coming."

"I agree…" Ken patted Koromaru on the head.

"Get some rest, everyone… Even if you can't sleep. Try to."

Ezi didn't want to sleep. No one wanted to go to Tartarus either, herself included.

Everyone went their separate ways for the night, but Fuuka stopped Yukari and gave her a disc from the Chairman's hard drive, which she decided to watch in her pink infested room.

It was a recording of her father, the one they had watched in Yakushima. He was saying all the things he had before, but there was one part that had been changed, and another that had been deleted from the previous one Ikutsuki had edited.

 _"…Do not let the Shadows rejoin! Leave the Shadows be!"_

"Dad tried to stop the experiment…" Yukari realized.

 _"I pray that whoever finds this, that they do one thing for me: Tell my daughter, Yukari, I am sorry I was not able to keep my promise. Daddy was always happiest when I was with her."_

"Dad…"

" _I love you Yukari. Please, take care of yourself!"_

There was an explosion, and the video stopped.

"Dad? Daddy!" Yukari reached out the screen, and began to sob on her knees.

"…I know one thing for sure, now. I was right to believe him. Are you listening dad? It took a while, but I finally got your message. I'll be okay… thank you…"

She raised her head up, and could see Lo, as the resolution in her heart began to change her. **Lo became Isis** , a sphinx like Persona with god-like wings and ancient Egyptian structure around the golden plated form. It was stronger, just as she had become stronger.

"I won't give up. It's what you would have wanted, right, dad?"

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She was running across a checkered tile, spinning in the dark—

The Velvet Room.

"Welcome." Igor was there in his usual spot. "As I'm sure you are aware, you're currently in a dream."

"Yes…" She said dully.

"Now, then… There has been a change in you recently. Have you noticed? And I'm not referring to your change in circumstances. I'm referring to the change in your mentality. That is why I summoned you here tonight."

"My mentality?"

"Going forward, there is one thing you mustn't forget." Igor unrolled the paper in his hand. It was the contract she signed. "I see you recognize it… Shall I remind you of your commitment?"

She gave him a scowl. She knew what it said.

"I choosith this fate of mine own free will."

She lowered her head.

"There is no need to worry."

"I wonder… If I knew all of this was going to happen, would I have signed the contract?" She paused. "You guys knew nothing about this, right?"

"No. I am afraid, we are only here to lend you strength and support."

"Then, I guess I would be making a harsh decision if I decided to quit, huh?"

"Whichever path you choose, I shall respect your decision. However, only you will bear the responsibility of your actions… No matter what end they may bring about. Please, remember that."

"Okay… thank you…" She was solemn in her thoughts as she headed for the door.

"Then, I bid you farewell." Igor nodded. Theo paced quickly out from behind the chair and raced to her.

"Guest? I mean, Ezi-san?"

"Theo?" He seemed to have a pouted lip.

"Um… I have a request for you… I'd like to visit the place you received that funky school music from!"

"My school? You're requesting that… now?"

"S-sure! I'd like to visit it."

Maybe, he was trying to keep her distracted—make her feel better.

"Okay, I can do that sometime. Goodnight."

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The next day, Junpei visited Chidori in the Memorial Hospital.

"Sorry I haven't been visiting lately. A lot has happened." She didn't respond. "What's wrong? I guess you heard about Takaya and Jin. I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you earlier. They were your friends, after all."

"It hurts…"

"Huh?"

"Junpei, what will you be doing in two years?"

"I… I haven't really thought about it. Why do you ask?" She didn't respond again, and he looked down at her wrists. "You haven't been hurting yourself lately."

"Oh, yes… I suppose so."

"That's good. I mean, you have such beautiful hands." He reached to them, but she jumped.

"Don't touch me!"

"Oh, sorry-!"

"This is too painful…" She said, looking away, "It used to be fun when you'd come visit… it's different now. It feel like I hurt inside, and I can't breathe! I can't take this anymore!"

"Did I do something wrong? Tell me what it is!" He insisted, leaning forward. She only moved back against her pillow, not even looking at him.

"Don't… don't come here anymore!"

"Chidori…"

"I mean it! Never come here again!"

Junpei didn't know what to do. So, he left through the sliding glass door, leaving the girl to her confused thoughts.

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On a Sunday, Yukari texted Ezi to speak with her alone. They met at the Chagall Café and Ezi waited for Yukari to speak with anticipation.

"…Do you have a reason for fighting?" Yukari tapped her fingers on her class teacup.

"Yes… I thought you knew this already."

"I mean, besides trying to protect us?"

"I… yeah… but to be honest, Yukari, I don't know what all the details of my goals are, especially now."

"That's good." She nodded, and they said nothing for a while.

"…Yukari?"

The girl sighed dramatically, conveying strain and aggravation in her exhale. "I just don't know what to do," She chuckled, misleadingly, "but I feel I need to say something, because…"

"It's okay. You can tell me anything."

"I know, I know…" Yukari seemed like she was trembling, and it made Ezi increasingly curious and worried.

"It's good to know what you want, what goals you desire… since I was a kid, I wasn't certain. Even when my dad read me stories about princesses and princes, I wasn't so sure…"

"Sure about what?"

"I guess I've always been girly, so I liked seeing the princesses in the story. But, I never quite wanted to get to the part where the prince comes in and saves her, because I didn't want that for myself either."

"To be saved?"

"Yeah… not by a prince, anyway…"

"I get it. You wanted the power to protect yourself!"

She smiled. "We all do, but if I couldn't for myself, then I would want someone like you there for support."

She had a theory, then, but she wasn't certain. Yukari would have to continue.

"…I, have never liked men. I think they can be handsome, but when it comes to having feelings or attraction towards them, well, I know that's never been the case for me. I definitely tried to like them, but… it was hard, like, it was like I was forcing something that everyone expected me to like because that's the way it should be…" She shook her head. "I'm not sure I'm making sense. Basically, I know what it is I want now, even if its not something everyone would expect of me."

"Yukari…"

"I guess I wanted to tell you, because I thought I liked you when we met… you're someone I can talk to about almost anything, and I can count on you. I've always been jealous of your independence, and to be honest I thought you were like me at first. Then, you fell for Shinjiro, and I knew I was wasting my time. Still, I wanted you to be the one to hear it."

"Yukari, I had no idea you were going through all of this."

"I'm pretty good at acting, huh? The truth is I didn't want you to know because I was worried you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. If you don't want to be friends, I understand. I'm attracted to you, but I don't want to date you or anything. That sounds sort of weird, huh?"

"Not really. When I think about how I have guy friends, they're appealing in their own way, but not enough for me to pursue. Wait, is that why you haven't hooked up with that blue-haired kid that joined fencing yet?

"Well, yeah… he's nice, but I'm not attracted to him. I know this is weird for you. I shouldn't have said anything, but I felt I needed to express my feelings before…"

"The next full moon?"

"Yeah. After what happened to Shinjiro, and then we were almost killed by that creep Ikutsuki, it made me wonder if I had any more time to waste. I should be able to tell someone, and be myself, if this is the end…"

"Don't say that!"

"I know, but, just in case..." There was a long pause. "…So, say something. I've never told anyone about this! I guess because I was trying to figure it out myself, like my thoughts were somehow wrong, but…"

She was still puzzled. "Well, whatever floats your boat, I guess."

"That's it?"

"W-what do you want me to say? I don't see what the big deal is. To be honest, I can't believe I didn't notice before. But, I'm glad you told me."

"You're not weirded out or anything, right?"

"Right." She nodded, with certainty. "Just don't try to kiss me."

"Seriously?"

"Too soon to make jokes?" She smirked. "But seriously, you've changed, Yukari, in a good way. I'm glad you told me."

"I knew I could tell you, Ezi-san… thank you."

After she threatened and insisted Ezi not to tell anyone else, they went back to the dorm,

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Aigis returned to the dorm, and went to school the next day with everybody. No one seemed to be willing to hangout, and all the clubs seemed to be unavailable that day, especially the student council. She went to the mall and picked up Theo, who was eager to see Gekkoukan High, and touring him around would get her mind off things.

"So, this is Gekkokaun High School. It's difficult to believe that such a beautiful place transforming into Tartarus."

Ezi felt awkward… maybe this was too close to home. All the students leaving the school were glaring at them, and she didn't know how she'd be able to explain Theodore's presence. At the same time, with everything going on, she didn't really care.

"We seem to be under some intense scrutiny." Theo noticed it as well. "It seems they are able to sense your power of the Persona as well, what keen senses even the humans of this world have."

"I don't think that's why they're looking…"

"Here," He wrapped his arm around her waist and pushed her against the side of him.

"—Whoa!"

"Please, stand closer to me. Hide within my shadow, and I can conceal you."

"Um, I don' t think this is necessary…"

"You'll be relieved to know I won't leave your side."

"I don't know if _relief_ is the word…"

He walked with her with his arm still around her into the school. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

She felt awkward beside him, and her cheeks flushed slightly from embarrassment as she had to stalk on her tippy-toes squished beside him.

When they got to the front, Theo settled with just walking close to her. She couldn't help but think how accurate his lack of respect in personal space would definitely cause a scene here. As they continued, Theo gawked at the vending booth where snacks were sold.

"Excuse me!" He said to the vendor. "I would like to purchase a 'school lunch' for my master."

"Um, yeah?" The old lunch lady who also did the snack bar glared with confused intent upon Theo.

"…They have bread, if you want that." Ezi suggested, dryly.

"Ah, yes! I have heard this bread is sufficient for crafting sandwiches for the school lunch! Then, I shall purchase your longest bread!"

After his purchase was sealed in a baggy, they continued throughout the school. She decided to take him to her homeroom.

"Ah, so this is a classroom! This is where you spend your longest hours of the day!"

She chuckled. "Yeah, don't remind me."

"Does it go something like this?" He sat down in one of the desks in the front. "Please, go on, my "teacher"!"

She looked at him, then the podium, then back at him. She stood behind the podium.

"…Are you prepared, student?"

He looked at her with anticipation. "Yes, go on!"

"What war was in 1467?"

"I understand the reference… but I do not know the quantity to answer properly."

"Yeah, that is what it's like for us everyday. We're basically expected to know things we have no clue about."

"Ah… I understand your days in the classroom much better now, then!" He stood up. "Shall we look at the rest of the facility?"

Ezi showed him the fashion room, the science room, and even the art room.

"What is this ersatz human casted in plaster here for?"

"It's used to practice your drawing."

"I see… but, would not a real human be more sufficient? A living human would seem much more beautiful to me." He turned at stared at her for a long moment, that spark of anticipation in his look.

"Oh no, I'm not gonna model for you in here!"

They went downstairs to the sports field.

"So, people run a circle?"

"Yeah! For track."

"If so… I doubt they'd get anywhere. I see! It was designed with a philosophical point in mind… going nowhere!"

"R-Right…"

Next, they went into the gym.

"What a marvelous place for recreation! There is plenty of space to frolic and exert one's energy!"

"Have you ever shot a basketball?" She grabbed one from the storage room, and she began showing him the stance to make at the free throw line… his aim was so terrible, he kept hitting the high ceiling of the gym.

"Last one! Come on, you got this…" She patted his elbow so it made an 'L' shape as he griped the ball, and he seemed to stammer at their proximity.

"O-okay…" He took a deep sigh, and leapt forward with the shot, making a nice, clean swish into the basket.

"Goal!" He declared.

"Wrong sport, but nice work!"

Then, they went to the music room. Theodore seemed to admire the piano.

"Do you know how to play it?" She asked.

"Indeed, I could easily record the musical notes that are on the sheet, but lately, I don't think that would be as beautiful as say, for a musician to play… Do you know how to play it?"

"No…" she looked at the piano again. "Wait…"

"Please, demonstrate a song if you will. I'd be honored to be your audience."

Ezi sat on the piano bench. The keys were familiar, as was the idea she'd played on stage before, in front of a lot of people. She tapped a few random keys, then began to pick up a melody…

~..~….~..~..~….~….~+++~…~…~…~..~..~

 _The song built up and played tremendously and triumphantly through out the halls of the school. Ezi was swept into her own world of battling with dark shadows that haunted the purple corridors of a hollow, empty kingdom, and the music was within this magical place~_

When she finished the song, she freaked out, seeing students surrounding herself and Theo with their phones. They cheered and congratulated her for her song.

"Indeed! That was most gratifying; so intense and beautiful all at once!" Theo was clapping with everyone else; no one seemed to notice him, now.

"Ezi-san," Fuuka and Yukari stepped through the crowd, "Well it looks like we found our pianist for the next festival."

"Ezi, that was amazing!" Yukari exclaimed. "You never told me you could play the piano like that!"

 _That's because I didn't know either_ , she thought. "Yeah, I just haven't played in a while…" Another lost ability had been attained, it seemed.

"You amaze me more and more!" Theo intruded. Crap. "Shall we go?"

"Um, who is..?" Yukari pointed at the strange man. The students began clearing out of the music room.

"Um," she had to think, quickly, "he's a student from another school, 'thinking about transferring here next year as a senior! Ms. Toriumi asked me to give him a tour of the place, since I'm in student council and all."

"Oh, I see, nice to meet you." Yukari said.

"Yes, it is a pleasure. Welcome to Gekkoukan high." Fuuka added.

"It is an honor to finally meet some of Ezi's friends!" He said, bowing with his hand placed over his heart to them.

"Finally?" Yukari repeated.

"Um—He's pretending to be my butler! He's cosplaying from this anime, and you know how devoted these cosplayers can be; weird, right?"

"Oh, I see. What anime?" Yukari asked.

Theo grimaced. "I'm afraid I don't understand—"

"It's sort of new! Well, we better get going, he's kind of on a time crunching schedule."

"Oh, okay. It was nice meeting you!" Yukari waved to them as Ezi dragged Theo out of the room.

Fuuka folded her arms when they left. "He seems a little old to be in high school…"

"Don't judge, some people just grow faster than others, I guess." Yukari decided. "But, wasn't he dressed as a bellhop, not a butler?"

Ezi pulled Theo all the way back to the front gates, relieved to be away from them.

"I am confused; were we not just in the presence of your fellow Persona friends?"

"Yeah, but, if I had to explain you to them, it'd get weird. Sorry about that."

"That is all right… I just wanted to…" He stopped himself. "Or, I would like to go again, no…" He seemed to be trying to calculate something. "Again? Why… did I come here? And, why with you? Surely I could have gone to other places to explore this world, but… What is this desire I have to want to know more about you?"

"Well, we are friends by now, it's natural to want to know things about someone so you can relate to them and understand them."

"Well, pardon my pondering. Um… you must be exhausted. You chaperoned me to so many different places today."

"It's alright, I was happy to assist you! Maybe someday I could introduce you to my friends properly, without having to explain the Velvet Room to them."

"I understand."

Ezi walked Theo back to the blue door in Paulownia mall.

"Thank you, again. Coming into contact with a place, saturated with your presence, was a very exciting opportunity for me."

"I had fun! I'm here, if you ever need me." She said, smiling.

"And I will be in there," he knelt down and grabbed her hand.

"Uh-?"

He raised it to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand gently. Her immediate reaction was to jerk back, but she just blushed.

"Y-You can't do that so suddenly!" She said, pulling it away. "Haven't we gone over personal space like, a thousand times?"

"Ah, I apologize," it occurred to her that he was blushing too. "I could not… help it…" He cleared his throat.

"I-it's okay. Just some warning next time would be good."

"Very well." He stood up and bowed. "I could not resist. Thank you for fulfilling my request. Here is your reward: The ability to summon the Hell Biker. He is frightful, but he is a part of your soul and can keep you safe."

"Oh…" Ezi held the red muffler in her hands. "Thank you, Theo!"

"Of course. Until next time."

.

She walked back to the dorm, thinking of how refreshing it had been to show Theo around; it was like sharing Gekkoukan with somebody new, as if everything was new again, and there were no troubles.

Then, she saw a lost person moaning and wobbling passed their dorm. There seemed to be so many still, even though they had defeated the last Shadow. She walked in and saw Fuuka on the couch, but Ken was doing homework at the dining room table. He looked as perplexed and depressed as she was feeling.

"Ezi… hello. I keep thinking about what Ikutsuki said. He died before we could figure out what he meant by the Fall…"

If only she had asked Pharos more intently on the matter. "Are you hungry? How about some omelet with cheese and rice?"

"Huh? It's your favorite, right? I'll make some, right now!"

He was confused, but please with the results of dinner on his plate after she fried the egg on the stove. She made a plate for both of them to eat.

He stared at it for a moment, the golden yellow egg wrapped with vegetables inside, and a side of hot white rice and sauce. "This looks so good."

"Then, eat it!"

They did, for a while. As Ken realized it was delicious, he began scraping the food into his mouth quickly.

"Damn, I done good…" She said to herself. He swallowed wrong and began choking.

She got up and grabbed water for him, placing the cup in his hands so he could fix himself.

"…Better?"

"Yeah, thanks…" He picked at the food quietly. "Did you and Aragaki-san cook together?"

"Oh… no." She shook her head. "He liked cooking for me, not with me."

"I see… then, do you cook for other people like this?"

"No…" She continued eating, and he watched her.

"Sorry. I guess I shouldn't talk about stuff like that, from the past. But, I don't know where to look right now… The past is riddled with all this pain, and now the future is uncertain."

"It's always been uncertain." She thought about the contract. "You better finish your plate."

"Ah-! Right, it's just… You don't cook for anyone? Not even your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" She sounded offended.

"Well, I just read an article online about high school students. Apparently, everyone has a boyfriend or girlfriend."

It was the second time he had caused her to think about Shinjiro. "No… I don't have one…"

"I see." He seemed pleased as he ate the rest of his food.

"That article isn't true, by the way. Why do you care about stuff like that anyway? Focus on your Retroman comics and soccer!"

"Oh, yeah… I threw all of them away."

"What for?" She exclaimed.

"I don't know… I mean those comics have so much violence within them. I guess they were more fun to read when I was a kid, but now…"

"I understand."

With all the experience Ken had endured now, it made sense. Ken insisted on cleaning the kitchen and dishes up, and she went to bed early, unable to study.

.

.

.

The next morning, Ezi overheard some gossiping girls as she walked into the gates of school.

"I'm so excited!" One of them said.

"Yeah! Apparently, I heard the boy transferring here today is a stud!"

"That sounds too good to be true! Are you messing with me?"

"No! I heard it from someone who saw him filling out the forms in the teacher's lounge!"

A new student? She wondered if they were filling the spot of Shinjiro's class, now that he was no longer there… as if he went to school anyway.

"What room is he in?" They continued.

"Classroom F!"

Her head perked up.

The first bell rung. There was more chatter amongst the students than usual in her class when she sat down.

"Class, we have yet another transfer student among us." Ms. Toriumi explained. "This will be our third this year, which makes it a hat trick!" The class seemed un-amused by the joke, and she scowled. "…Why don't you introduce yourself?"

He seemed to come in from the sunlight; Ezi hadn't noticed him until that moment he was presenting himself in from of the class, seeing his long, bright yellow scarf swaying first.

The boy's hair was slicked back and spiked downward, his eyes were grey, and he had on a white-buttoned shirt.

"Hello, my name is Ryoji Mochizuki. And, I'm not from America, but I've been living there most of my life. It's nice to meet you all! I would be so grateful if you showed me the ropes!"

"Another new student?" The girls behind Ezi whispered.

"Yeah, but he's so cute!"

He looked scrawny to Ezi, but he seemed nice.

"Nice to meet you." He said, and seemed to be looking in her direction. It was then she realized the empty seat beside her, and even though Yukari tried to vouch for her absent friend, Ms. Toriumi insisted students had to be present to "own" a seat, so he sat next to her. Ezi's attention was more glued to Aigis, who was glaring rather intently towards Ryoji on the other side of him.

"Hey," He was talking to Aigis. "Nice to meet you, I didn't quite get your name."

He was flirting already? He literally just showed up!

"You-are-dangerous." Aigis said.

"Seriously?" Ezi whispered. "Aigis, what do you mean he's dangerous?"

"I haven't even asked you out on a date yet!" Ryoji whined.

"I see, Aigis." Toriumi cut in. "You were our latest new student and already the spotlight is being taken from you."

"I'm not dangerous, I promise! Once you get to know me better, I'm sure you'll think otherwise." He sounded so certain. When class finally started, Ezi couldn't help but notice his off glare towards her once in a while. He was probably checking out all the girls during class. Ms. Toriumi mentioned the school trip coming up as they started their lesson.

When school had ended, Junpei met up with Ezi before she could hurry out the door to the student council meeting.

"Heeeyyyy, Ezi! I wanted you to meet the new guy. And, this is Ezi Leon."

Damn.

"Hello." He grinned charmingly to her.

"She transferred here earlier this year."

"I see. I'm Ryoji, nice to meet you."

"Same here." She nodded, and she felt awkward as he just stared at her.

"What are you gaping at?" Junpei spoke for her.

"Oh, um… I had the strangest feeling when I was looking at Ezi-chan."

"Eh?"

"It's like, I don't know… nostalgia? Have we met before?"

Junpei blew a raspberry. "Dude! That's the oldest trick in the book for pick-up lines!"

"N-no! Really, I mean it!"

"Uh," Ezi chuckled, flabbergasted at how typical his flirting was.

"Anyway, I hope we'll get along." He gently offered his hand and she went with the flow and shook it. Maybe there was a connection; the coincidence of a new student at this time seemed like **Fortune** was bringing her to meet the friendly transfer student.

She looked down at her phone to see the time. "I'll catch up with you guys later, I gotta go to a council meeting."

"I look forward to getting to know you more." He said to her.

"You are a threat!" Aigis suddenly appeared from somewhere. "Ryoji, please step away from Ezi-san!"

"Aigis?" Ezi was confused.

"Would it be alright if I stood closer to you, then?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Yikes, what's this all about?" Junpei rolled his eyes.

"Aigis, just because he flirts doesn't mean he's a threat." Ezi tried to explain, but the robot kept glaring at him. She wondered if it was just Aigis' concern for Ezi that was making her rage this much.

She went to the meeting after the event, then headed home. She and Fuuka took Koromaru for a walk, where they happened to bump into Rio and they all chatted on the bench as Koromaru played around the shrine.

.

.

.

The next day, the school was buzzing about how Mitsuru sempai was returning to school. Had it only been just over a week since the incident? She saw Mitsuru in the faculty hallway, walking towards her. She was so distraught and focused on the ground in front of her, she hadn't noticed Ezi was even walking by; she was probably trying to block all the stares and gossip about her.

"Ezi-san," Ms. Ounishi addressed, "which chemical is potent in milk?"

She was in science class. Ryoji sat next to here in that class, too. "Uh… Lactose?"

"Nice work."

Ironically, and thankfully, Edigawa the health teacher was out sick, so they received a study hall for that class instead.

Ezi figured she would be studying alone, but Junpei awkwardly stood in front of her desk.

"…Can I help you, child?" She teased.

"Uh, um…" He seemed embarrassed. "Can… can you help me with the trig homework?"

She blinked.

She sat with Junpei in the back where his desk was. He seemed shy at first as they went through the problems, then he started to build assurance as they went along.

"…Is the answer, 40?"

"Ding-ding!" She exclaimed. "You got it!"

"Shh!" Someone said, and they both giggled to themselves.

"Yeah, I'm a genius." He pulled up the sleeves of his writing arm.

"I can't believe you're studying." She told him.

"What? Come on, I'm not that irresponsible." He seemed to be lost in thought. "I was just thinking… I wonder where we'll be in 10 years…"

"Where's that coming from?" She could tell he was being sincere. "Well, I'm sure you'll be a great man."

"Thanks… it's just, I don't want any regrets, but what is it I'm good at anyway?"

"Bad jokes?"

"Ha-ha," he sounded annoyed, "well, anyway, forget it."

"Hey, no one's got their life figured out in high school. I've been in it long enough to know that much, at least. Your calling will come to you."

"Yeah… I guess, Chidori had me wondering about the future. She asked me about it, and now she doesn't want to see me anymore. She says its too painful."

"Oh man. She digs you, dude."

"Huh?"

"I'm surprised you can't tell! Chidori is uncomfortable around you right now because she likes you, and she is nervous things may not work out with you guys in the future. That's why she doesn't want to see you."

"Man, you sound like you know… but I guess I told you because I wanted a second opinion." His face seemed red. "I guess I kinda knew already why she didn't want to see me, but I wasn't ready to tell her my feelings yet."

"Well… maybe you shouldn't wait." She thought about Shinjiro, again. "At least then you guys can both move forward with your true feelings revealed."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It's not."

"…I don't hear a lot of studying over there!" The substitute teacher snarled.

When all of the classes were over, Ezi thought about talking to Mitsuru soon.

"Ezi-san!" Ryoji seemed to greet her openly afterschool as they sat. "The school trip is coming up. Lucky I got here when I did. Are you excited?"

She hadn't even thought about it. "Uh, yeah I guess."

"Don't say it like that! Maybe we can have fun together?"

"I don't think Aigis would allow it." She retorted, smiling.

"You might be right!" He sounded amused by her joke.

"Ryoji-kun!" About three or four girls seemed to swarm him; one of them was the girl with buns who seemed to hate Ezi so much. She gave her a glare before joining the other girls with their interview on the new kid. Ezi arose from her seat and left them.

That night, she hadn't seen Mitsuru at the dorm at all.

.

The next morning, though, as she went to go shower, she found Mitsuru in her uniform, strutting down the hallway with a solemn look.

"Sempai, good morning!"

"Hi." She said.

"Wanna go to school together on the train?"

"I… can't. I have some places to go before I go to class."

"Oh, okay." Mitsuru headed downstairs without another word. Ezi took to her headphones and thought of what she could do for the senior as she was on the tram to Gekkoukan.

Her phone rang. It was Theo.

"Good morning!"

"Hey, is everything okay? Did someone wander into Tartarus?"

"No, nothing like that. I called to inform that there has been a seal within Tartarus that is now open. You may continue up to the next floors."

"Wait… what? I thought we reached the top!"

"Oh, no of course not. At least, according to what I can sense, the next block is now available to you."

"I… I don't believe this."

"Do not be discouraged… please. I'm sure you will be able to face whatever is present on the new floors head on."

"Yeah. Well, thanks for the information, anyway."

"Stay safe. Have good day." He hung up.

She groaned and sunk into her seat. She had hoped they could just go on old floors to keep fighting… Now, it was uncertain of how much higher they still had not discovered about Tartarus.

"Huh? Ezi-chan?" She looked up to see Ryoji waving at her on the other end of the car. Great.

"G'morning!"

"What a coincidence."

He chuckled. "Some people may call it 'destiny'."

"…If you say so." He was such a flirt, but he reminded her of herself when she had come to the island; full of energy and playfulness and hope. "Well, nice seeing you."

"You as well!" He turned to the window. "Look… the sun's shining off the ocean beautifully. This view really lifts my spirits."

She looked out and the reflection on the water nearly blinded her. "I think I understand."

"Really?" He chuckled with enthusiasm, again. "I'm glad to hear that. I thought that the world was being especially dazzling today. Could it be because you're standing here with me?"

"I'm sitting. You're standing."

Ryoji laughed pleasantly, finding her sarcasm amusing.

They looked out the window some more. "I guess this view is pretty great if you've never lived here. I used to live in a desert, so I didn't see much of this."

"I hear deserts can have the best sunsets, though." The PD came on that the train was almost to the next stop. "Oh, we're almost at school already. That's a shame."

"Is school boring for you?"

"Nope, it's actually really fun." He sounded amused. "You know… it's probably because I know I can see you there. Everything is glimmering there, like this ocean, and your eyes." He laughed easily at his own words.

"See? Even you know when you're being over the top corny. You can't get girls that way."

"I don't know, I think some girls like it. Besides, I just need to make friends, first."

"Maybe… but only say stuff like that to me when you want me to kick your butt. You're worse than Junpei." She sounded harsh, but she was smiling.

"Awe, don't be so mean to me, Ezi-chan." He grinned back. "Oh, we're here now. I hope today is fun!"

"You're like a little kid…" She commented. "Yeah. Let's have a good day."

And she did have a great day. She answered Edigawa's question about an ancient Native American culture, and she knew she did well on Ekoda's ridiculous pop quiz. She helped Junpei pass his homework for once over a fifty percent. When it was lunch, Hidetoshi approached her.

"Ezi, I need you." Hidetoshi waved his hand to summon her.

"Hey?" She said.

"Listen, I need your help. With Mitsuru out again today, I need someone to help with the other council responsibilities while we're planning for the school trip."

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about it…"

"How could you?"

"Sorry, a lot has happened. Anyway, of course I can help. What did you need?"

"Well we got a new student yesterday, and Chihiro was supposed to show him around but like I said we've been busy."

Her shoulders dropped. "Don't tell me…"

"You don't have any activities today after school, right? Since you intended on going to the council meeting, I'll have you chaperone him instead. I think he's in your class too, so that works. Ryoga or something is his name."

She sighed, aggravated. "Ryoji. Yeah, I know who he is."

"Excellent. Just show him a round a bit. Your efforts are greatly appreciated."

She nodded and headed to class. She wasn't going to complain just because Ryoji had hit on her before.

….Still, she groaned to herself when she approached his desk after school. "Hey, Ryoji."

"Ezi! At long last you've fallen for me, eh?"

He was joking, but she didn't bob for a smile. "The people in student council are busy, so I gotta give you a tour… Unless by now, you don't need one…"

His eyes were elated. "Oh, what joy! I don't really know my way around. A lot of girls have been nice to me and showed me around the school, but I haven't been around the island much yet."

"Okay, we can go to the mall, you can check that out first." Ezi noticed Yukari waving at her, and she shrugged her arms at her as if to say: why are you with him? Ezi waved her off and lead Ryoji out of the school.

The girls waiting outside for him lined up in front of them both. The girl with buns approached at the head of the pack, and Ezi couldn't help but think of when she had slapped Saori in the face.

"Hey, are you going somewhere?" Her glare was on Ryoji, as were the other girls. Ryoji grabbed Ezi's hand, as if to keep close to her to evade the squealing girls. Such drama.

"Sorry girls, maybe next time."

"When's next time gonna be?" Another girl asked desperately.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure I see all of you in my dreams tonight."

He winked, they squealed and shrieked. It was a dream, it had to be. Situations like these didn't really exist, right? There weren't crazy girls actually falling for these pick-up lines.

He tried to calm them down. "Girls, please! I can't choose just one of you…I'm sorry, but I've already decided upon my princess for today." He raised her hand up, and Ezi tried hard not to shake it away in front of all of them, to embarrass him. Then again, it could be a good idea…

He led her by the hand away from the upset hoard of girls.

"Why'd you say that?" She asked, annoyed. "Any of those girls could have given you a tour, so I didn't have to."

"Why…?" He sounded sincerely confused. "Um, I…." His walking slowed down, as if he were having a critical thinking moment.

"Oh, I'm not mad, I just think you could put that player game of yours to a minimum."

"Oh, you're right," he looked to her, "Sorry, I shouldn't be saying things like this to you. I want to be more sincere with you."

Ezi smirked. This was probably another tactic. "Uh-huh, sure—" His grip tightened on her hand.

"Oh, sorry!" His grip loosened. "Aigis is protective of you. She'd be mad if she saw me holding your hand like this."

"Yeah, you should probably let it go…."

He didn't.

"Still, Aigis-san, too, I feel like she's also familiar…"

"Heh, you're so predictable." She shook her head. "You sure we just don't look like one of your _princesses_ back in America?"

"No, Ezi," He looked into her eyes, "I truly meant what I said when I wanted to be sincere with you. I had fun just talking with you on the train today. Give me a chance, please?"

She pursed her lips. He was telling the truth, but even so, why was she giving him the benefit of the doubt?

She sighed, aggravated with herself for being so charitable. Maybe escorting him around would keep her mind off of Tartarus.

"Alright, Ryoji. I understand."

He smiled. "Can you show me around the city? I want to see the places you like to go to."

"Sure." She led him to the strip mall, first.

"They have a lot of restaurants here—"

"Is that a bookstore?" He said, excitedly. He pointed to the elders book shop on the first floor.

"Yeah? Do you… need some books for class?"

"Nah, I already got those. I wanted to see what kind of manga they had here."

"You read manga?" She smiled. "Me too."

"RetroMan is actually a lot better than it looks. There's a lot of real-world situations his alter ego has to deal with too, but I guess you don't read-"

"DID YOU READ THE LAST ISSUE?" She yelled when they walked into the store.

"Oh, you do read it…" He chuckled at her excitement.

"I recognize that enthusiastic voice!" Old man Bunkichi waved from the crowded counter of books. "Howdy!"

"Hola, Bunkichi-san." She said.

"Hola!" He laughed. "That's a good one!"

"Hello, Ezi-chan," Mitsuko appeared from the back room. "You brought a friend this time, eh?"

"Yes. This is Ryoji. He moved here from America, same as me."

"Hello!" He said.

"What a handsome boy. Hopefully Ezi-chan has treated you nicely."

"Hey!" She chided.

"Not at first, ma'm, but I think she's warming up to me."

"Do you have manga we could look at?"

"Of course we do!" Bunkichi exclaimed. "You two get acquainted over there."

Once they were directed to the wall of manga, they began looking over a few action stories, discussing a little about them.

"I used to like slice-of-life, but those stories are too boring now that I'm dealing with my own stuff." She admitted.

"Oh! You have drama and romance in your life?"

"Eh, n-not really. I just mean I'm busy with council duties and sports and keeping my grades up."

"You sound really determined."

"I try to be…What about you? Do you work hard in school?"

"I slack off sometimes, but I like it. I especially like the school environment here."

"Well, you better stay focused or you can get kicked out!"

"But it's so hard with all the beauties distracting me!" He said, dramatically.

"Then you can't handle it here! Get out!"

After jokingly discussing school, they departed from the bookstore.

"You and your new boyfriend have a good evening, Ezi-kun!" Bunkichi hollered to them.

"He's not my- oh, whatever."

"Thank you sir, and ma'm!" Ryoji waved goodbye to them. "What a nice old couple. I can't wait until I get to be with someone like that!"

"Old couples are cute." Ezi agreed. "Where do you want to go..?" Passed Ryoji, she could see the alley way that lead to the back streets. She would have gone to feed to the cat, but he wouldn't be there watching anymore, her silent guardian.

"…Ezi?"

"Huh?" She looked towards him. It occurred to her they were about the same height. Even so, he looked older than her.

He was grimacing. "A-are you okay?"

"Yeah… sorry. I space out sometimes!"

"Are you not having fun with me?"

"No, I'm having lots of fun!" She looked around, towards the station and the outskirts, back towards the strip mall. "Um, let's go to the Paulownia mall. It's a bit more fancy, but they have more shops there!"

"Okay. Maybe I can buy you something for giving me a tour."

"Heh, don't worry about it!"

"Oh, then I shouldn't? I know Japanese customs are a little different, like when someone offers you something you're supposed to say what you said. Then, if they insist, you have to be polite and accept the offer."

"Something like that."

"Then, I insist! I'll buy you something from the mall."

"Oh, drat!" She snapped her fingers. "You'll see! I'll want something expensive, then you'll never buy anything for me again!"

He laughed. "You're funny. It's just a gift, but I'll buy you more, if you'd like."

"Hey, don't be so nice! You lose all of your money if you buy girls so many expensive things!"

At the mall, they went through the antique store, the department stores, and the game shop. They talked about various things as they window shopped.

"…I didn't know Japan schools had ninth grade apart of Jr. High." Ryoji stated.

"Yep. I guess the schooling here is more advanced. I'm a little ahead, but they also held me back when I transferred here."

"What grade were you in when you transferred?"

"Well, I graduated my senior year… but there were no colleges on the island, and the senior curriculum here is too advanced."

"You were held back two years almost, then? Wow…"

"Hey, don't make fun of me!"

"Well, we've been all over the mall, and you haven't said you wanted anything yet."

"I don't."

"Come on, there must be something I can get you…?"

She looked over to the antique shop. She could trade something to officer Kurosawa for a weapon when she got the chance. "I guess… I could buy something in there."

"Okay, let's go!" He grabbed her hand gently and lead her into the shop.

"Greetings." The older woman said. "See anything you like for trade today?"

"Oh, no! I'm going to just get something for myself this time." They looked around for a few moments, observing the glass cases filled with stones and jade statues, golden pearls and dragon figures for incents to burn in.

"I'll just get some incents. Is that okay with you?"

"That's all you want? You don't have to be humble with me."

She laughed. "It's all I want. I'll get honeysuckle, please."

After their purchase, they ventured back out towards the fountain.

"So, what do you think of the social atmosphere of the island so far?"

"It's pleasant." He observed. "There are some shady places, but other then that, everyone seems happy."

She smiled. Apparently, he hadn't noticed any of the Apathy syndrome victims skulking around.

"But I suppose I think everyone's happy just because I'm hanging out with you. It makes me happy."

"Oh please. You're too comfortable with me already. I could be a serial killer who hunts little boys!"

"Good thing I'm not little." He grinned proudly. "But really, I had fun. Thank you for showing me around the malls."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying the island."

"It's getting late, but maybe sometime you can show me more places."

"I suppose I could." She smiled.

"Can I take you back to your dorm? I'd hate to have you head back this late by yourself."

"Sure, Ryoji."

They talked down the street about their school day, and what teams Ryoji could join up for.

"Thanks for the incents!" She exclaimed. The sun was down and they were in front of the dorm door.

"Thank you for giving me a tour..."

He had seemed fairly sincere the entire walk around.

"…To think I got to hang out with such a beauty!"

"Oh stop." She had given him too much credit too soon. "Well, good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Farewell, Ezi.''

She walked up the stairs and realized when he had said that, there was something nostalgic about it. This time it was less sullen, now.

"I'm on edge! Let's go to Tartarus to train." Junpei insisted.

"You're just bummed because Chidori doesn't want to see you." Ken said proudly.

"So? At least I have a girl with mixed feelings towards me, you little-!"

"Okay, calm down!" Fuuka intervened.

"Uh, I think there's more of Tartarus to explore."

"Seriously?" Akihiko overheard. "What makes you say that?"

"Uh, just a feeling I have. We should check out that last floor again now that the last Shadow has been defeated."

Mitsuru didn't go, obviously, but everyone else did. Aigis seemed hesitant to enter Tartarus, as well.

"Do you want to go with me, or stay?"

"I want to protect you, but…"

"Is everything okay? I know the whole Ryoji thing had you thinking, but-?"

"Mitsuru-sempai is not here."

"Right… I guess because she doesn't want to be. Are you worried about her?"

"Worried? I'm not sure I can get worried. But, I do feel responsible for what happened."

"No way! You didn't pull the trigger. Besides, you chose to save us instead of following orders. I never got to thank you for it."

"It is my first priority to—"

"I know, I know."

When they went to last floor using the teleport, the pillars were there still, but there was a golden staircase leading up to the next floor, with a red carpet under their feet. Not only that, but the night sky was replaced with golden gothic walls decorated in pointed arches gold plated mosaics in the center of them, as if the floor had always been sealed inside treasure-like walls the entire time.

"Whoa… what the hell?" Akihiko's eyes wandered in bewilderment.

"This is the same floor as before, right?" Ken wondered.

"Its as if Tartarus tried to trick us as well…" Yukari said with light aggression.

"We can't think about that right now. Let's go." The team stalked cautiously up the stairs, seeing a black room up ahead into the next block known as Harabah. The walls were black with cheesy, oddly shaped pillars with red aligning on every corner, and pixels of lights dotting shapes of diamonds and line patterns that lit up the halls. The carpet was also black, but it had circles formed by rainbow colored checkered patterns, and the sides of the wall had neon checker lined up to the walls. It reminded Ezi of a colorful stereo system from the 90s.

"Something seems very different about this floor." Fuuka sensed.

"Yeah… you'd know if you could see what we were seeing." Everyone's eyes scanned the new halls and floor, and prepared for their new Shadow enemies.

The first one they had to fight was three Kaiden Musha; samurai warriors more powerful than those from the previous floor.

They were thrown into action as they had to dodge piercing swords and Zen-ei light strike attacks. Ken used hamoan light with a quick summon from his Kala-Nemi, and it spun its arms around to produce the light magic to vanquish two of them. Akihiko's Cesar clashed with the last one, and then Junpei used Hermes to drop kick it from behind. Ken used light once more as it had fallen, and it was destroyed.

"More are coming!" Fuuka warned. The hall was filled with Impudent Maya's slinking towards them; green masked blobs summoning magic to dissipate their newly strengthened powers from within. Cesar and Ezi's Cybele shocked them into oblivion with zio, and then the Gracious Cupids cometh. Aigis shot all of them down, flipping and twisting to avoid their arrows of impeccable loving and lust to charm them to the other side, and the Apostate Towers with three crystal heads came spinning onward. Koromaru's Cerberus blew fire and collided with the stone before it could harm anyone, and then finally there was the Mighty Beast, that appeared to be an ascension Minotaur with a holy white bundling of fur and long horns. Ezi fought the things by charging physically as Ken summoned a powerful light attack to send it back to its depths.

"Nice work! You've gone up a few floors already, everyone."

"Only a few?" Junpei complained. "Dang; that was tough."

"Still, we can manage. No giving up now when we have so much to be searching for!" Ezi decided. "Let's call it a night!"

.

.

.

On the rooftop at school the next day, Yukari managed to intercept Mitsuru.

"There you are… I've been looking for you." Yukari was smiling more than usual.

"Oh, Takeba." She said dully.

"Its rare to find you missing student council meetings."

"Did someone ask you to find me?"

"Well, yeah…They seem rather busy with the school trip."

Mitsuru scoffed. "The school trip, huh… Even if I went, I'd only spoil the fun."

"You can't skip out!" Mitsuru seemed confused as to why she couldn't exactly. "Sempai, I've been meaning to talk to you…"

"Is that so?"

"To tell you the truth, you're not the easiest person to relate to. But, I happen to know what its like to lose a father."

"Takeba…"

"I've decided I should be more up front with you from now on…"

Before she could say more, the new student Ryoji walked out onto the roof.

"Oh! There she is. I've been looking everywhere for you."

Yukari was already annoyed. "Ryoji-kun, why are you here?"

"Didn't you come looking for Mitsuru-san, too? Its the same for me. There was this guy who asked me to find her. He said if I didn't, the school tri[ might be cancelled!"

"Hidetoshi…" Yukari grumbled.

"But, I'm the lucky one to have found you, Mitsuru Kirijo." Ryoji said charmingly. "You're quite stunning, if I do say so myself. Would you like to go out sometime? I know this one restaurant on the top floor of a 3-star hotel. The view at night is almost as breathtaking as you."

Mitsuru was flabbergasted, to say the least. Yukari certainly wasn't amused.

"Sempai, you should get back to the meeting!" She pushed her gently to the rooftop door.

"I-I suppose so. Takeba, thank you for your concern. I shall attend to my duties for now." She smiled at the girl, and Yukari had a warm feeling as she watched the beautiful Mitsuru head back downstairs.

"Hey, she left without answering my question." Ryoji pouted.

"For now?" Yukari was thinking. "That doesn't sound very good."

"Well, how about you, Yukari-chan?" Ryoji pressed. "I know this great restaurant in Shirakawa Boulevard…"

Yukari had managed to whack him over the head before he could conclude that sentence, thinking of their mission there months ago, and the lovely Mitsuru being in shambles. She was too worried about the red haired woman to even say something smart back to Ryoji.

.

That night in Tartarus, they reached a floor with very few enemies, and suddenly they were lost. "This is only the second time this has happened, guys. Don't worry!" Ezi assured the SEES team. They were close to the 200th floor when they had become lost, unable to find the stairway. It had been an unusual time to be stuck on one floor, even after fighting so many new shadows on it.

"We should split up. We can look for the stairs and cover more ground." Akihiko suggested.

"Alright." Ezi, Yukari, Aigis and Akihiko were in one group, while Junpei, Ken and Koromaru were in another.

"This is so annoying." Yukari admitted. "I was hoping to get out of here sooner tonight!"

"Heh, it'll be fine!" They wondered through familiar hallways, fighting small shadows that had appeared in places they had already treaded on. Fuuka told them to wait while she had Juno try to locate the stairs after they began going in circles.

"What floor is this? Maybe there's some sort of a trick to this one." Akihiko thought, frustrated.

"Let's just wait a moment." Ezi said, calmly. "I'm tired from battling anyway."

"Me too." They rested on a corner by the blinking lights, dropping their heavy bags and armor.

"Juno will locate the stairway." Aigis said affirmatively.

"I believe so, too." Ezi sighed. "I'm sleepy. Do you guys still have energy?"

"I could go for the entire Dark Hour!" Akihiko insisted.

"Me too," Yukari said, grinning slyly, "you're just tired from hanging out with Ryoji-kun."

"Oh gosh! Why'd you have to remind me? "You're surprised Ryoji acts this way?"

"I'm just looking out for you… Why were you with him the other day? You're usually aware of flirts like that."

"You were with the new student?" Akihiko said, interested.

"I am! I had to give him a tour, per council request. He's actually a very nice person, he's just a bit of a player is all. Too bad."

"Too bad? Don't tell me you're falling for that little weirdo…"

Ezi laughed. "Little weirdo! No, but that's funny! I wouldn't dream of it—he has enough girls comforting him anyway."

And for some reason, she was envious of it. Had she met Ryoji on the beginning of her journey on the island, she may have completely hated his guts for being so manipulative to so many girls. Maybe she was being too trusting of how he had told her he wanted to be more sincere. But, there was a light in the way he talked so enthusiastically to other people, and to her.

"He is dangerous. You should not be near him."

"I don't know, Aigis. He's an okay guy when he's not flirting with every chick he walks by."

"If Aigis thinks he's dangerous, maybe you shouldn't hang out with him, Ezi…" Akihiko said, quietly.

"Everyone, Ken found the stairway!" Fuuka said at last. "I will guide you to him so you can all continue."

Yukari gasped. "I hear chains!"

"Damn! Let's go!" Akihiko raced ahead of everyone.

"Death is near!" Fuuka cried out. "Locate the others and get to the stairs, quick!" Everyone scurried back to the teleporter, where they met the other half of their group.

Koromaru growled at the thing emerging from the hall behind them.

"Run!" Everyone sprinted down the hall, in the directions Fuuka was telling them to go in, and they reached the stairway.

"Come on! Everyone up!" Akihiko yelled. Ken slipped and Junpei helped him up, and everyone scrambled up the winding lit up staircase. Akihiko was the last to go up, and he could spot the shadow of the Reaper as the chains grew louder. He ran, scurrying through the tiny space of stairs, until they were on the next floor, the chain sounds disappearing.

"Well, that went well!" Junpei was out of breath. "Let's keep going!"

"Are you crazy? We almost got shot at by death!" Ken exclaimed.

"Well, we're gonna be missin' a few days to travel through Tartarus when we go on our trip."

"Oh, yeah! I need to get my Training schedule together for Kyoto." Akihiko said.

"You nerd." Ezi grumbled. They both chuckled.

"You guys are going to get me something on the trip, right? I'm jealous I don't get to go." Ken whined.

"Yeah, we'll get yah, somethin' little buddy!" Junpei declared. "Although, I'd rather be here fighting with yah in Tartarus."

"Ezi stood up tall and stretched. "Well, I think we've had enough excitement tonight! We've made a lot of progress, so let's just go home now and get ready for the trip."

"Yeah… I hope Mitsuru will be able to perk up on the trip." Yukari mentioned.

"It's been rough for her, but we'll try to be positive for her." Ezi agreed. "Let's go."

.

.

She thought of how Mitsuru said she would be rejoining them in Tartarus the Sunday before their school trip. She didn't seem very convincing the night before when she told everyone they had to still keep fighting in Tartarus; not in the way she used to sound, anyway.

Dead people did that to you. Her phone rang as she mused in bed that morning.

It was an unknown number. On a Sunday? She didn't want to deal with things like phone bill collectors on a restful day like this. Still…

She put on a gruff voice when she answered.

 _"Hello? 'Who dis?"_

"Hello. This is Ryoji Mochizuki. This is Ezi-chan, right?"

Her heart jumped. Why was he…?

"Y-yeah. Good morning?"

"Do you have time to spare?"

"I guess…"

"Why don't we go out somewhere? The weather is great."

What would she do? She could be pessimistic, easily, for flaunting himself to so many women, or…

"Yeah I'm down."

"That's great! Just thinking about seeing you makes me happy. I'll head over to pick you up immediately." He seemed rather excited.

"N-no need. Why don't I just meet you at the Chargall Café for brunch?"

"I can't wait!"

She thought about how Aigis was so insistent on the fact that he was a threat. Considering the recent betrayal of the insane Ikutsuki, she wondered if maybe Ryoji's sudden appearance did have something to do with everything.

 _Keep your friends close and your enemies closer._

…Or, maybe she just wanted to hangout with him.

.

.

.

"This place is so interesting." Ryoji's eyes whisked around at the golden restaurant.

"What makes it so interesting?"

He continued to look around. "I don't know, that's a tough question!" He continued looking around eagerly, taking in all the details.

She dimmed her eyes. "Is it, now?"

Ryoji cupped his tiny hands around the warm porcelain cup, caressing it with his thumbs. "You know, all of these people around us…. I'll bet they're all couples."

"Oh no—" She noticed it now, too.

"Being lovers means that there's nobody else in the world that you care more for, right? That'd be wonderful, if it were really true."

"What?" This wasn't an outlook she would have tied to him of all people. "Ryoji… you don't believe in love? Ryoji, I think that's why your flirting act is so… atrocious. You're giving all of those girls false hope towards love."

"Well, I'm sure it'd be nice, but I figured false hope is better than none at all."

"It'll happen to you someday."

"I see." He looked at her with fluttering, dreamy eyes, chuckling amiably.

"That wasn't me flirting!" She clarified. "I was just being sincere."

"I know." He continued to stare, and she let him for a moment as she looked around. "You know, I would still like you, no matter if you were a guy or a girl."

"What do you mean? You swing on both sides of the fence?"

He chuckled again. "Is that really so weird to say?" He smiled gently. "I know I've said this already, but I'm positive I've known you before."

"Not in a pick-up-liney way?"

"No, not in that way. It's just… When I'm with you, I get this feeling I'll find out I how know you, and we'll become closer."

"Really? I'd like to get you know you better too. Uh, in a friend way. I think you're a nice person when you're not being weird with your pick-up lines."

"Thanks! But, can I be honest and say, that feeling also makes me sad too?"

"The feeling that you know me?" Maybe they were connected, and like her other lost memories, no matter what, she wouldn't be able to realize the connection, before it was too late.

She leaned in closer to him. "Do you sometimes feel like you have lost memories? So, no matter what, you can't recall the familiarity?"

"Yes… it almost makes me want to cry." He looked down at the table. "I've never cried before."

"Hey—Please don't cry—" She was in a public place with a guy she had known for a week.

He laughed again. "I feel sad, but I won't cry and embarrass you!"

"It wouldn't be embarrassing, but… a little weird. Still, I feel a lot of emotion too when I can't remember what I've lost."

"What you've lost?" He said quietly.

She felt uncomfortable, talking about those things like they were conspiracies. "Um, it's getting late." She flipped her phone open and pressed a few numbers, as if she were focused on a text or something.

"Is it alright if we hangout more? I want to spend more time with you alone like this."

"Again, not a date!" ninety-nine out of a hundred times this was said, it was not true—but she said it anyway.

"As long as I can see you, we can call it whatever you want."

"You're a weird one, that's for sure." Ezi decided. She really could not read this boy, he just seemed to tell his feelings straight out, which was weird, but also refreshing; she didn't have to read into what he was trying to say, like with Akihiko, for example.

"So then, is it alright if I ask you out again? If it's not a bother."

It was an odd request, but…

She thought of Ikutsuki again. Even if she thought it was weird, it would be better to keep an eye on him, this mysterious transfer student.

"It's not a bother at all."

"I'm happy to hear it, then!" He said, delightedly. "Oh, that reminds me, the school trip's coming up, right? Let's find some time to hangout while we're there."

She smiled. "Sounds good."

"I'm really looking forward to it."

"D-don't get so excited about things that haven't happened yet." She chided.

"That's the beauty of being alive, right? You get to look forward to things because the future is… unknowing." Maybe there was some solemnness in that last part, but he smiled anyway. After they ate and talked more about regular things, she returned to the dorm.

Perhaps she would be excited about their school trip to Kyoto. She would have been before everything that had happened, but maybe she was just foolish back then. Still, a relaxing trip after everything did sound quite amazing. Granted, even if they didn't know it, it was going to be a long, eventful trip.

.

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TO BE CONTINUED


	28. Date 22:Pool of Tears in Kyoto Hot Spri

**A/N: THANK YOU ALL FOR THE FAVS, FOLLOWS, AND REVIEWS! This chapters a bit shorter but there's two parts! Enjoy~**

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 **Date 22(1):**

 **A Pool of Tears in Kyoto Hot Springs**

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The train was scheduled to reach Kyoto by the afternoon on the day of the trip. She did hope it would be a memorable experience. It was odd seeing all of her classmates gathered outside of school grounds, cramming into a monorail.

She sat with her friends at SEES. Of course, Ken and Koromaru were not present.

"Kyoto, huh? Talk about a clichéd place to go on a school trip." Junpei carped.

"Don't you like it?" Ryoji was sitting next to Junpei, who he seemed to fancy in his time at Gekkoukan.

"I think it's a beautiful place to have some good memories of while we're still young." He seemed to look at Ezi, and she turned away to stare at the station outside.

"Is that so? Ya know, every now and then, you sound like an old man." Junpei said to him.

"Really?"

They reached their destination and the seniors and juniors were split up into lines. She could see Mitsuru up ahead in the senior line, looking depressed.

"She came… thank goodness." Yukari said to her.

"Yeah… Uh, its funny, I remember there was a time you seemed to hate Mitsuru. Now, your only concern seems to be her."

"I-I didn't hate her! Well, I don't know what I was feeling towards her…"

The classes transferred to a tour bus after arriving at Kyoto Station. The sun was already setting. Fuuka seemed eager to take pictures of all the landscapes and beautiful red trees blossoming for the season. The area they were in seemed just outside of the city. The buildings resembled old town Japanese structures with thatched tile roofs and sliding doors, having had gained more support over time.

The hotel they were staying at was called the Higashiyama-Sanjo Godaigo Inn, and had this kind of large architecture embedded by a crystal clear river that surrounded the premises. The inside was bustling with beautiful Japanese people in yukatas, and the lobby was adorned with a pink design on its carpets and seating umbrellas, and the wooden gift shop was centered there with an indoor pond.

Ezi walked passed a few of her familiar classmates as she found a place to stand with her friends as they waited for their room assignments. Some students were gossiping about Mitsuru's father's passing. Some girl was trying to spook her friends about some story that the hotel was haunted by dark spirits in the late night, and another was complaining about wanting to eat the gourmet dinners soon.

"Whoa! This is a nice place!" Junpei seemed to light up, despite his complaints previously.

"Well, it is an expensive place." Yukari answered.

"Ezi-chan," Ryoji was talking to her, "What are those umbrellas for?"

"Rain." She snickered.

"Oh, I don't think they're for that! 'Wanna go huddle under one, in case it does rain, though?"

"In your dreams!"

"What kind of reasoning is that?" Yukari snapped, overhearing them. "Watch yourself around this guy, okay, leader? He'll go after anything with a pulse!"

"Aye-aye, best mate!" She saluted, going along with it.

"Leader?" Ryoji asked. "That's no way to refer to someone with so cute a name as Ezi-chan's. Oh, and I don't just go for anyone. I want to get to know you better because… Well, you're you."

"I'm so flattered for this award." She continued to joke.

He chuckled. "Although, I must say, we're getting along pretty well already."

"Says you." She retorted, smirking back.

"What's with that laugh? Don't tell me, are you two really..?"

Ezi was surprised at how easily Yukari was interested in the possibility.

"Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers! Or see directly! Or hear at a close proximity…" She tried to brush it off.

Yukari seemed baffled. "You're both weird and full of energy. Maybe you two should be… uh…"

Ezi was feeling like her old self with all the excitement.

"You are a problem!" Aigis was suddenly beside him at an uncomfortable closeness, saying it to his ear.

He smiled, amused. "Thanks."

"Love triangle much?" Yukari grumbled. "Sheesh…"

Junpei switched gears after a quick look to Akihiko, who was staring at the scene rather precariously.

"So, uh, Ryoji, where were you guys gonna go at your school for a class trip?"

"Hmm? I don't really remember." He said it quietly, like he was embarrassed.

"Are you serious? That's the highlight of the year!"

"Really? I don't know… Wherever we were going, I think I'd much rather be here, anyway."

Aigis' menacing glare settled as she took a glance at the pond in the courtyard. "…Is this one of the open-air hot springs I have heard about?"

Fuuka seemed to return from taking pictures all around the room.

"No, this is a courtyard, Aigis. Wanna go out for a walk later?"

Ms. Toriumi scolded all the students for being spread out and cramping up the space. Then, she announced the rooms by going down the third years list of names and what room they were going to be in, and Mr. Ekoda did the same for the seniors.

"This way, Aigis!" Fuuka picked up her bags and they started walking. The students began crowding like wildebeest as they all marched heavily with their things. "Ezi-chan, this way!"

"Oh—coming! Hey, move it!" She felt like she was being trampled.

"No, this way, Ezi-chan!" Junpei teased.

Ryoji picked up his bag next to her. "I am looking forward to seeing the rooms, Ezi-chan." The boys seemed to be taunting them. "Do you need help finding yours?"

"Yeah! You too, Aigis?" Junpei added.

Aigis stopped walking with Fuuka, and looked to them. "Well, I will see you girls later."

"All right, this has gone far enough!" Yukari collided. "Junpei and Ryoji: guy's room! Aigis: girl's room! You're coming with us!"

"Awww." The boys said in unison.

"Perverts." Mumbled Ezi.

.

.

.

Ezi had always called that horrible girl "the girl with buns", and even though she had heard her name before, she hadn't bothered to remember it. Unfortunately, they were assigned the same room.

Now, the girl's hair was down, and she was wearing a blue yukata robe. She had beaten Ezi to Ms. Toriumi, who she was complaining to in the lobby when Ezi bumped into them.

"Ezi-san, don't tell me you're down here for the same reason." Toriumi drawled.

Ezi cleared her throat. "Not at all, ma'm. I was just getting souvenirs." Ezi grinned at the girl. "We're in the same room, right? I look forward to hanging out with you more!" Ezi nodded her head towards them and skipped to the gift shop counter. She grinned slyly when she overheard Toriumi scolding the girl.

"You see, Mikako? You should be more of a team player like the way Ezi is…"

She smirked knowingly to herself, and headed for the souvenir shop.

"Yo," Akihiko almost appeared to be rolling, towards her. His hair was wet from the shower and he was in a large yukata.

"Yo yourself. What's up?"

"You're still in your uniform?"

"Oh, yeah—I haven't, well, I didn't want to change yet—"

"Don't you know you're supposed to get your souvenirs on the last day?"

She sighed. "I do…"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, well, I don't know—I guess I was thinking of getting Ken something now because I was thinking about the dorm."

"This place is sort of like the dorm, huh? Are you, homesick?"

"Not like that, I'm just thinking, you know…" She began to whisper, "about Tartarus, Mitsuru, the Shadows- everything. Too much is going on to be focused on this trip entirely. I'm trying to be happy, but…"

He smiled gently. "You know, I believe the tables have turned. Aren't I supposed to be the one worried all the time, while you're trying to get me to relax more?"

"Heh, I think that never happened." She joked.

"It did. Look, I know how stressed you are, but you don't need to be. We need to make memories here, just relax while we can. Tartarus will be waiting for us when we get back, okay? There's nothing you can do about it now, so you might as well relax."

"Wow, I can't believe it! You are actually telling me to chill—" She gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"What if Kyoto is actually a parallel universe? This is going to be an odd trip indeed!"

"If that's the case, then I get to be in charge! Relax! That's an order!" They both laughed.

"Thanks, Akihiko."

"No problem. You're always helping me out, and I could tell you were on edge earlier."

"Oh, well, thanks for investigating!" She saluted him, suddenly overcome with exhilaration.

"No problem. I want to see you more as yourself on our sight-seeing tomorrow, got it?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

He laughed. "Good. I'm heading to sleep early, so I can be refreshed. You should do the same."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Oh man," He laughed more, "cut the acting! You can be the leader again! The saluting doesn't suit you, soldier." He waved his hand. "Well, good night."

"Good night, si-" She stopped herself, "-Akihiko!"

She watched him head up the stairs first, when she heard Rio whispering to her.

"Ezi, _psst!_ " She walked over to Rio, Kazushi, Yuko and Kenji, who were also already comfortable in their robes. "Hey! How are you enjoying the place so far?"

"It's pretty amazing to me! It reminds me of our basketball trip, just a bit bigger."

"It is pretty here!" She agreed.

" _Anyway_ ," Yuko cut in, "you and Akihiko, we were all just wondering, and instead of speculating, we thought we'd just ask, since we're friends…"

"We're not a thing." She answered quickly.

"Oh, thank _god_!"

"Why thank god?" Kazushi asked, angry.

"I just know he's eye candy for a lot of girls—my self included—so I didn't want to be eyeing someone else's man when he was at practice!"

"Oh, I guess a lot of girls do watch him after school, huh?" The thought made her shudder for a moment.

"It's a good thinking he's got you, Ezi," Kenji said, "He would have to deal with all the other crazy girls otherwise!"

"We're not crazy!" Rio scolded. "Besides, he's not my type…"

"Yes, we've established who your type is." Kenji teased, referring to himself. She slapped his arm.

"You better watch _his_ type," Yuko warned, " he wants to peek at the hot springs!"

"Oh man, if you do that…" Ezi warned.

"No, no! I just wanted to know the time the girls would be having the hot springs so I could fantasize about it, not peek!"

"You're hopeless." Rio rolled her eyes. "You don't want to peek, but you're gonna fantasize about it? That's pretty scary, man."

"Anyway, you'd make a cute couple, you two do seem to get along." Yuko referred to Ezi and Akihiko, again.

"Nah, he gets along with Mitsuru, too." Kazushi said thoughtlessly. Yuko elbowed him in the stomach, and he heaved forward.

"Uh, thanks, I think?" Ezi hadn't thought of her friends seeing them as a couple. Sure, the fan girls were always assuming they were together, but it was different if closer comrades thought so too.

"I'm tired from the train ride, but I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"Goodnight!"

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The next day continued their school trip excursion. They went to visiting historical sites, based on their itinerary. The classes took the Kyoto tour buses for sightseeing. They saw many beautiful buildings and homes from the Muromachi period, with yellow wood and red trees painting the cool landscape. They visited the shrine, and Ezi took a picture of Fuuka and Yukari praying there, as some sort of calm lament to everything they had endured so far. They took many photos, all though seeing them up close in detail and massive with their own eyes didn't compare. Their last stop was the Kamogawa near the hotel. The students flocked to their groups of friends and walked beside the Kamo riverbank Sanjo Oohashi.

Yukari took the liberty of walking with Mitsuru by the beautiful clean water as the sun was setting, having had noticed her discourage throughout most of the day.

Hey, I wanted to see how you were doing!" Yukari said. "You didn't talk much on our trip today, but anyway, I'm glad you came—"

"Why are you being like this?" Mitsuru asked, harshly. "You know, our days of fighting are over. We no longer have a common goal, no enemies to fight, no reason to be friends."

"That's not true…"

"We've reached our conclusion. Even with the Dark Hour still there, why should we continue on? In the end, everything I believed in was a lie, and I failed, too…"

"You failed to what?" She retorted. "To protect the most important person in your life, is that what you're trying to say? You said you were fighting to fix the Group's mistakes, but really, you were fighting to protect your father, right?"

"That's right, I was! And now look at what's happened!" She was yelling, immensely. "My trust to the chairman blinded me, and now he's gone! My father put so much of the blame on himself about the incident, he always looked dead inside. I wanted to ease that burden away from him, and I thought I was so close! But it turns out, my point in life means nothing now, right?"

Yukari slapped her across her left cheek, hard, leaving her completely stunned.

"I'm sorry, but we don't know if that's true yet…." Yukari sighed. Mitsuru managed a small yelp, caressing her cheek, but said nothing. There was a long pause.

"…I used to live around here with my mom when she was throwing herself around at random men, and believing in my dad was all I had. He realized his mistakes, and risked his life to stop the Shadows. I need to fulfill his final wish! I don't know how yet, but I—we, will find a way to stop the Dark Hour. Right, Sempai?"

She rubbed her red cheek. "Fulfill his final wish?" Mitsuru was pondering this. "Yes…" She said, firmly. "I agree, Takeba. It's not over yet! We have to stop the Dark Hour, for the sake of my father, and yours…"

"Yeah, thanks…"

"Yukari… will you stand with me until the end?"

There was absolute exhilaration as she looked at Mitsuru's stretched out hand.

"U-um, yes! Of course." She grabbed it gently, and they shook.

They both smiled at one another. "Well, I guess that leaves only one thing for us to do! Take a bath together now!"

"Take a bath together?" Now Mitsuru was red.

"Yeah, at the hot springs! The hot springs are famous here, and Fuuka and Ezi wanted to try them out, too! What do you say? I think we all need some girl time! There's nothing left for us hide anyway, right?"

"Nothing?"

"Hey, stop blushing! I didn't mean it like that!" Yukari nudged her jokingly. "We should be getting back, though. It's already almost curfew…"

"Heh, alright, that sounds… nice. Just give me a moment here, alright? I'll meet you guys later."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

After Mitsuru watched Yukari leave, she looked up into the orange sky.

"Father, I won't look back again. I'm not alone this time, not anymore, so I know we can defeat what's coming."

The sky blinked, and Mitsuru could see Penthesilea flying into the sky, and she gave rise to her new, **powerful persona: Artemisia!** A guilded woman in a dark dress and red mask, boldly showing the extent of sensuousness and strength with her chain whip in hand.

"…Please, watch over me."

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Ezi stepped out of her room, after the girl with buns had gone in and chatted with another girl. She saw Fuuka and Aigis in their robes as well by the vending machine in the hall.

"Wow, you guys look great!"

"Thanks. These clothes are very comfortable." Fuuka said. "By the way, did you see Mitsuru-sempai and Yukari-chan?"

"Eh, no. Why?"

"Because they seemed to be rather happy together."

"Affirmative. We just saw them leaving their rooms together." Aigis commented.

"Huh. I hope that means Yukari got Mitsuru feeling better." Ezi smiled knowingly, thinking of one possibility regarding Yukari's intentions.

"Girlies." Yuko dropped her head in on their conversation. "Can you tell Junpei and Ryoji to stop cat calling all the girls in yukatas?"

"Hey Yuko! Why do you want us to do it? Just kick their ass yourself."

"Ezi! You look great in that yukata! I took mine off because I thought I needed a lighter complexion. I just seem so out of place with it on!"

Ezi blinked, as Yuko was referring to her being one of the other few with darker skin.

"Yuko, why would you want to fit _in_ place with it? Embrace who are and but on the comfortable clothesies!"

She smiled. "Thanks, Ezi-san. I should go find Kaz. He supposedly forgot where his room is two times already…"

The girls seemed to go to bed early that night, since they had another day of touring to do.

Mikako was laughing with the other girl about something as Ezi opened the paper sliding door to her Bellflower room on the east wall hallway.

"What a skeez he is!" They were whispering.

"I know, right? Well, thank god they broke up." Mikako was wrapping her hair in buns for the night. "Ezi-san." She said it casually.

"Yeah?" She didn't look at them as she prepared her floor bed.

"I'm sure you saw Akihiko in his robes—wasn't he cute?"

She was annoyed. What was this troublemaker trying to do?

"Uh, yeah I guess."

"You guess?" The other one said. "Is it okay if we talk about him?"

"W-why would I care? I mean, if you're that obsessed with him..."

"Aw, you're so nice, Ezi." She said.

They whispered more into the night. She listened to her headphones until she could fall asleep, wondering what other gossip they were stirring. She wondered if the girl with buns—Mikako, would try to slit her throat at night just to keep her out of the way of all the men she lusted over so much…

Midnight.

The room seemed more verdant as Mikako walked over to Ezi's bed, stumbling over the sleeping girl's legs.

"What the-!" Ezi shot up and threw off her ear buds. Mikako had tripped over her, but she got up without a word and headed to the door.

"Uh, hello?"

She didn't say anything, and it concerned Ezi because it was clearly the Dark Hour. The other two girls were in coffins.

"No way…"

She threw off her sheets and raced out of the room to chase her, only to see some of the other girls in their robes walking out of their rooms in a zombie-like pace.

"Oh crap!" She tried puling them back to their rooms, but there was some inhuman power drawing them all downstairs and probably out towards the voice that was summoning them.

"Rio, Yuko! Snap out of it!" She was waving her hand in front of them.

"Kenji… Must… tell him how I feel…."

"I can't be… ashamed of myself…." They were muttering in their hypnotized state.

"Aigis, Fuuka, help!" Ezi screamed. The robot seemed to appear first from her room down the northern hall.

"I have analyzed a Shadow outside of my window; it must be eliminated!"

Mitsuru, Yukari and Fuuka jumped out of their rooms as well.

"The girls in our room are transmogrified! What's going on?"

"We have to fight a Shadow, let's go!" Ezi led them downstairs, and they brushed by the stalking girls and boys as they did.

"Dude, there's a Shadow outside?" Junpei and Akihiko joined them in the empty lobby.

Fuuka was sitting in their room with Juno, and she talked to them with her psychic link:

"I can sense it outside! Be careful, it has an almighty attack that it's preparing to use!"

They ran out to see a Fate Seeker floating about in the sky, above the buildings across the parking lot. The orbs floated around the plated eye, and above it was a white energy ball of light.

"That power must be luring people in with the voice."

"I'll stop it!" Akihiko had Cesar summon lightning, and for a moment there was a larger figure being shocked. It sent the megidola to them and the girls summoned all of their Persona's to take the blow, causing a loud explosion in the air.

"You're not ruining this trip for me!" Yukari's Isis appeared, and Fuuka gasped.

"Wait! Don't use-!"

The garu Isis created formed around the Seeker, and it was sent flying back to everyone, causing a gust strong enough to scrap and cut into the front of the Inn and throw them back.

Ezi slammed into the sliding door entrance, and went flying through the wood and paper. She rolled onto the pink carpet and scrambled back up quickly, scanning the room of walking zombified students that were approaching.

"Its weakness is physical attacks!" Fuuka explained.

"Now she tells us!" Junpei used Hermes to fly up with its leg, kicking into the eye of the monster that appeared every time they made contact. Aigis flipped into the sky and onto the top of the building below the Shadow. She began to fire, but the orbs began to shoot out sporadically in different directions to avoid the bullets; then it summoned electricity and Aigis was zapped into a frozen rest mode and she fell like a plate to the ground.

"Do not use magic!" Mitsuru decided. She released Artemisia, and everyone watched the new Persona swing her chain. It wrapped around the head and pulled the Fate Seeker down to them. Junpei used Hermes again to slash the creature with its golden wings, and the Shadow was defeated. Ezi spun around to see everyone in the lobby drop like flies.

"Aigis!" Yukari helped the robot stand. "Are you okay?"

"Recharged to sufficient supply. 49.5678%."

"Okay…"

Aigis blinked a few times and began to move on her own.

"There are no more Shadows. It appears that was the only one in this area." Fuuka told them.

"Dude… good." Junpei sighed. "I didn't want to deal with this on vacation! Then again, it does make Kyoto more exciting."

"Mitsuru, you got a new Persona?" Akihiko smirked. "I'm quite impressed."

"Yes…" She turned to look at Yukari, who was walking back to them with Aigis. "I had some help."

"Well, good work, team!" Ezi was roughed up from the fall. "Now to figure out how to get everyone back to their beds!"

Everyone that had been lured in by the voice had been unconscious and asleep until the end of the Dark hour. Aigis hauled most of them on her own, and Akihiko and Junpei were able to haul one person… The girls didn't do much, but Ezi wondered about how everyone's Persona and inner selves seemed to be changing.

When everyone was snug in their beds again, the SEES team turned in for the night.

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TO BE CONTINUED

I think we all know what happens next... ;) There's gonna be some changes, if only to progress the story so it makes more sense then it did in the gameplay. You'll know what I mean, next time!

 _Farewell, My Dearest~_


	29. Date 225: Kyoto Hot Springs

A/N: Hello! Sorry it's been so long~ You know now its November so we are in the same month as this story! It's so cold now, hopefully this chapter about hot springs will warm your spirits!

Thank you so much for the follows and reviews by the way~

Without further ado, enjoy:

 **~Persona 3: Portable~**

Previously, the Gekkoukan students headed to their class trip to Kyoto. Ezi was bonding more with the new student, Ryoji. The SEES team had to save the students from a Shadow that attacked their Inn at midnight!

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 **Date 22 (2):**

 **A Pool of Tears in Kyoto Hot Springs**

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They had a walking tour of Kyoto for the next day. The lobby was in a buzz as everyone wondered what could have happened to the front of the inn, as the entrance had been damaged.

The students got to walk down a strip with local homes and small markets to observe the cultural atmosphere that day on the golden merchant strip. Junpei and Ryoji stared agape at all the beautiful women in kimonos, and Mitsuru and Yukari took to shopping with a rather large amount of energy. Mitsuru seemed to be enjoying herself more than the previous day. Fuuka and Aigis walked with Ezi, who buzzed around all her friends from time to time. Then, they all went to lunch at a nice barbeque restaurant off the side of a shimmering lake.

"I had a weird dream, like someone was calling me and I was sleep walking." Yuko spoke around the table of friends.

"That's weird, I slept like a baby!" Ezi lied. "Hey, this sushi seems so much fresher than on the island!" Ezi was sitting close to the SEES friends along with Yuko, Kazushi, Kenji, and Rio. Some girls from the basketball team, and boys from the boxing team, were there too.

"I agree, this is good!" Yukari was sitting next to Mitsuru with the archery girls.

"Yo, I'm so psyched! Tonight, the boys and I are gonna play baseball tonight!" One of Junpei's friends said to him and Ryoji.

"Blaugh, I'll pass, this time." Said Kazushi.

"The hot springs are going to be busy tonight, huh?" Fuuka asked. "I knew we should have gone last night…"

"The teachers have assigned times for specific rooms, or groups, to take turns within the hot springs, to avoid complications." Aigis explained.

"Aigis! Will you partner up with me for the hot springs?" One of the boys said.

"In your dreams!" Yukari intruded. "I know how to get them off your back, Aigis; dare them with something!"

"What is the significance of that?" She was confused.

Ezi snickered. "Oh man, I have a great dare." She looked down at the green wasabi on her plate. "Okay, dude, if you can eat all of this without crying, you can hangout with Aigis!"

"Ezi-chan, why didn't you ask me to do the dare so I could hangout with Aigis?" Pouted Ryoji.

"Silence! My word is truth!" She declared. "Besides, Aigis doesn't seem to like you anyway."

"He is dangerous." Aigis agreed.

"They all are at a certain level. One of the girls at the end of the table commented.

The boy Ezi had dared nodded. "Okay, I'll do it!"

"What?" Junpei yelled. "Dude, don't do it! I know Aigis is a babe, but…"

"Dude, this could be my chance!" He swiped the wasabi from Ezi's chopstick. "Tell my mom I love her if this ends me."

"I can't watch!" Rio covered her face with Kenji's shoulder.

"He's really gonna do it?" Akihiko and the others gathered as the boy stuffed the wasabi into his mouth, quickly trying to swallow it. He let out a horrible cough and began sobbing and gagging. The boys were laughing, and some of the girls were trying not to puke themselves.

"I lost my appetite." Yukari, admitted.

"Dude, you actually did it!" Junpei cheered, but the boy was sobbing and gagging as he wafted his nose to cool down.

"Ah, maybe hanging out with Aigis isn't that worth it." Ryoji admitted.

Everyone gathered the drinks they had and let him drink whatever he wanted, then he went to the bathroom to recover. The boy's friends followed him in for support.

"Wow, he failed, but I commend him for trying." Ezi complimented. "I feel bad, I didn't think he would actually do it… I'll buy him something at the souvenir shop. Or, maybe a dessert? To wash down that wasabi.

"Ezi, girls can't give guys that sort of gift, even in this situation." Yukari chided. "People might get the wrong idea."

"Oh please! If anyone wants to think it's weird, let them! I don't have feelings for the guy, I just feel bad!"

"If I know anything about you, Ezi, its customs be damned!" Junpei declared.

"I think that's true too! So what if she's a girl and he's a guy? If they were both the same gender, everyone would think that Ezi would have to pay him back somehow!" Yuko decided.

"Well, guys and girls are different, though…" Kenji began, Kazushi nodding his head in agreement.

"Okay, let's not get into gender politics!" Ezi announced. "We were all created equal."

"Oh no…" Yukari rolled her eyes.

"I have a dream! One day, guys and gals will be able to get together and-!"

Yukari threw Ezi back down into her seat, pushing down on her shoulders.

"STOP BEING WEIRD!" The table of friends laughed. When the boy returned, Fuuka made room for him to sit next to Aigis, and everyone ate their food and chatted about the beautiful Kyoto and their experiences thus far, wasabi free.

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"Fuuka! Are you and Aigis going for a walk? I want to come!" Ezi asked, excitedly. They had returned to the hotel and the sun was setting.

"Of course you can come with us." Fuuka and Aigis were on their way to walking around the Kamogawa as well, before curfew was up.

"Ezi!" Ryoji appeared. "Sorry, can I talk to you about something?"

"Oh, sure. Never mind, guys! I'll see you later." Aigis and Fuuka left, and since Ryoji asked her to come along, they decided to walk around a little more on the dirt path.

She stopped. "Can we sit? I want to eat this crepe I bought at this stand."

"Sure." He sat down with her. "A green tea crepe? That color's a little off putting."

She thought about the green mist sky during the Dark Hour.

"It is… want some?" She handed the crepe to him, and he observed her wrapped wrist.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Ah…" She had splinters in it from last night when she flew into the Inn entrance door.

"…I fell down and bruised it."

"I see…" He took a piece of the layered crepe and white powder sprinkled between them. "This is delicious! You can't find this in Iwatodai." He chuckled. "It makes me kind of happy."

"That's why trips are so great! And what makes you so happy about it?"

"I'm sharing new experiences, and I get to share them with you, Ezi-chan. That's what I enjoy so much."

"Oh… s-same here." She wasn't sure she was as excited as he was, but spending the day with everyone had been wonderful.

He looked at his Kyoto brochure. "Here's something I didn't know: the light on a river reflect differently than it does on the ocean."

"Is it because it's flowing?"

"Oh, I guess that must be it. The river's always on a journey, too. I bet that must be fun."

"Don't be envious of water, Ryoji." She teased.

A girl and a boy across the hill behind them were laughing loudly, and it cut into their silence.

He smiled serenely. "That reminds me, this place is full of couples too."

"Figures you'd point that out, Ryoji-kun."

Despite saying this she noticed they were in an area where lots of couples were enjoying the view, too.

"…What kind of things do lovers talk about?"

She swallowed. She was suddenly sitting in the dorm lounge with Shinjiro as they talked about nothing with their cold fingers pressed against warm cups of tea. Such a girly drink.

"Ezi?" She realized she had not answered yet.

"They talk about pointless things." She answered, dully. Then again, she and Akihiko had quarrels, and debates, or just talked about their days—not that he should count for this question.

"Well, actually I'm not really sure if that's the right conversation to have with someone you like."

"I see… but, I suppose that's okay, because you're telling those things to the person closest to you." He sounded very intrigued. "Does that mean you've never had a boyfriend, Ezi-chan?"

"I didn't say that." She smiled, mildly. "But, I guess not officially, no."

"I see…" He said. Ryoji seemed cheered about that, for some reason.

Guilt, that's what it was. It glued her mouth shut about the subject anymore as she continued to look at the running water, then she realized he was gazing intently at her.

"What's the matter?" She asked, not looking back at him still. "Don't get all excited because of it, you flirt." She was half-joking, half trying not to cry out something unexplainable.

"Why you, I wonder? Sure, you're nice and pretty, but I don't think it's that. It's just… you…" He looked away, lost in thought.

"You're not trying to hook up with me, are you? You really think dearly of me?"

"Of course I do! I just…"

Perhaps it was these moments that she didn't brush him off like the other students. His presence was more mystical, now, and she could tell he was telling the truth. But, why…?

"…Hey, would you still be willing to see me like this after the trip? Um, the day after we get back is the 22nd. It's a Sunday."

"You have this all planned out, don't you?" She teased, but his serious expression didn't change. "Uh… I want you to tell me the truth."

"Truth?"

"Why do you want to hangout with me so badly? You could ask someone else… but one time you said you didn't care I was a girl or a boy, so-?"

"Yeah… I'm not exactly sure myself." He admitted. "Maybe its because we both have missing memories."

She sighed. "I've had the same thing happen to me. No one else in my life before seemed to notice it except me, the missing pieces."

"Yes." He agreed. "I feel like no matter what I do I can't remember, even if something familiar comes around."

"Me too! I've been through so much here. A lot of strange things have happened, but I still can't remember…"

"Weird things?"

"Uh, you know, nothing important…"

"They couldn't have been as weird and amazing as meeting me."

"Keep pushing it, Ryoji." She warned, smirking.

"I got you to smile again! So, you'll hangout with me, yes? I don't think its coincidence that we met."

She swallowed. "What's with you?"

"I don't know why, like I said. I just want to get to know you more."

She was flattered, to say the least, and he certainly didn't appear to be using lame pick-up lines. He sounded more desperate, like a wounded puppy, and she sort of wanted to help him. Maybe they could help each other.

"Well, okay, sure. I guess we can hangout, then."

"Thank you! Sorry, I was getting anxious about what I was going to do if you said no."

"Cry me a river?" She pointed to the water.

"Oh, a joke! You should leave those to me."

She decided it was courageous of him to ask her out again… and the lost memories. They would need to talk more about it.

…Not to mention, there was some small comfort in knowing he wanted to be with her.

The sun was going down.

"It's starting to get chilly." Ryoji rubbed his arms. "I guess winter is close by—"

Wait, what time is it?"

He looked at his watch and chuckled nervously. "Ten minutes passed curfew."

"Aw, shoot! Let's head back!"

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Unfortunately, they were late, and were spotted by a certain teacher with a temper in the lobby.

"Fifteen minutes!" Mr. Ekoda snarled. "You think just because you're in the council you can do whatever you want, eh, Miss Leon?"

Ryoji and Ezi were face forward with their heads down as they were being scolded by Mr. Ekoda.

"Sir, if I may, it's my fault we were late. I begged her to show me around to some stores nearby-"

"I don't believe you! You two could have been up to anything the last 15 minutes!"

"Mr. Ekoda," Ms. Toriumi interjected. Thankfully, she came rushing down the stairs towards them. "They're both my students, I will take care of them."

"You mean like the way you _have_ been taking care of them? This sort of behavior is unacceptable!"

"All do respect, we did nothing wrong, sir—" Ezi tried to defend.

"It's past curfew! You should both be restrained to your rooms for the rest of the trip for this!"

"Then, your boys should be restricted too, Mr. Ekoda." Toriumi interjected. "For trying to buy cigarettes today at the marketplace."

"Well-I-I took care of that!"

"Then, let me take care of this." She said, sternly. "This is not your concern, really."

He glared at her, and grunted, before stomping away and up the stairs. Watching him leave, Ezi saw Akihiko and Junpei in their robes, and some other students that had been watching from the staircase.

After a pause, Ryoji said something first. "Ms. Toriumi, it really was my fault—"

"Go to your rooms." She said. "I know, Ezi was just trying to make you more comfortable, here, right? You are a new student, after all."

"Ms. Toriumi, we really weren't doing anything that we wouldn't do around our fellow peers and teachers." Ezi insisted.

"You are one of my best students. I'm not worried about it, really. You two, head upstairs, now. But, don't get into any more trouble!"

"Thank you, Miss!" Ezi and Ryoji bowed their heads politely and marched over to their friends up the stairs. The crowd of students seemed to have dwindled already, and it was just Akihiko, Junpei, Ezi and Ryoji following everyone else up to their rooms.

"Yo! Where were you guys?" Junpei asked, whispering. "That was close!"

"We were shopping and lost track of the time." Ryoji explained.

"It's not like you to be irresponsible, Ezi." Akihiko said.

"Well, she was with good company, I suppose." Ryoji said with smirk. "Sorry, Ezi."

"It's okay. You sound like Mr. Ekoda, Akihiko. You're the one who told me to have a little fun. Really, we were just shopping."

"Alright, alright. At least you guys didn't get in a lot of trouble!" Junpei declared.

They reached the boys' rooms on the second floor.

"Maybe I'll see you at the baseball game tonight?" Ryoji smiled.

"Oh… yes." She thought about their conversation. "I'll see you later, maybe. If not, goodnight!" She waved to them and headed up the stairs, lost in thought.

When they were finally alone, Junpei spoke first. "Man! Be honest, were you guys just hanging out, or were you up to something else?" Junpei had to know, and Akihiko listened in too.

"Nothing like that Junpei… but we did talk for a while. It was nice."

"Nice? I swear you're an old person. You don't think Ezi's hot?"

"Sure she is, but she told me she doesn't want to date me. Still, I like being around her. I'll give her space, it's her choice if she wants to date me or not, but I can't ignore my feelings for her."

"Wow, you are a weird one. But, I commend your professionalism in this situation. You're a real gentlemen!"

"Him, a gentlemen? He's been hitting on girls since he got here!" Akihiko pointed out.

"Good point. But, I respect a smooth talker to the ladies, too!"

"Thanks, but, its different with Ezi. I really want to be genuine with her."

"It might go to waste, though." Akihiko mumbled, almost menacingly. The boys stopped walking and turned to him.

"How so, Akihiko-sempai?" Ryoji asked nicely.

"Yeah," Junpei was surprised, "how so?"

"Uh, it's just, Ezi's a tough nut to crack. A lot of guys think she's cute, but she hasn't gone out with any of them. There's no chance with her, is all I'm saying."

"I don't know, I think I'm closer to her than most guys." He grinned. "We already have a connection, so I think I have a chance!"

Akihiko scoffed. "Well, don't come crying to us when she turns you down." He folded his arms, seriously, as if to say more but he just glared at him.

Ryoji stammered. "Okay. I'm gonna head to my room now. Goodnight guys." He left them to attend to their own rooms.

"Dude?"

"What?"

"Um, what was that all about? You were being rude to Ryoji."

"Huh? No I wasn't, I like Ryoji. He's a cool guy."

"That doesn't mean you're not jealous of him, too."

"Jealous?" He looked down. "Why would I be..?"

"Come on, dude. We both know why."

Akihiko said nothing as they went to their rooms, making their own plans for the night.

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After the dinner everyone had in the great hall, The girls of SEES decided to do some souvenir shopping in the lobby before it was their time to be in the hot springs. The boys that were playing baseball were mainly seniors, and none of their closer friends were involved, so they decided to take the opportunity to go together to the hot springs on their last night in Kyoto. The hot springs were vast, being outside in the hotel, with artificial boulders and a green incense smell that filled the large area.

"Wow! This hot spring is huge!" Yukari explained.

"We practically have it to ourselves, since everyone is at the baseball game." Fuuka explained. "We don't have to worry about other guests, either; it's girls only for our school tonight!"

"So, this is an outdoor hot spring. Unfortunately, its therapeutic healing benefits will not help me." Aigis noticed.

"But, you can get wet! That's okay because you can at least be with us while we're here." Ezi said.

"Ahh, this is so great!" Yukari said as she sunk into the warm water. The girls managed to sit in a circle near the central boulder in the warm water.

"This is nice, better than a Jacuzzi, somehow. We had those on my trip at my school in America."

"Ezi, do you ever miss America?" Fuuka asked.

"Sometimes I do. But, I came here for answers, and I have all of you here. I'm glad I'm here and not there, right now."

"Come to think of it, you told me you left America for school, but, is that the only reason?" Yukari asked.

"No…"

"Well, anyway, I'm glad you're here with us now, Leon-san."

"Hey, did you guys have a good day today? Anything interesting to report?" She switched gears.

"I bought some clothes! And Kanto-san helped me buy a flute here."

"He did? Are you gonna be a cook and a musician now because of your future husband, Fuuka?" Yukari asked.

"My what?" She was blushing. "W-we're not…! What about you and Mikato, Yukari?" Fuuka asked.

"Eh, we're not a thing. I don't know, he's sort of unemotional about things, and it bores me. We get along, but I don't have feelings for him."

"Is that so?" Mitsuru said, interested.

"And you, Mitsuru-sempai?" Yukari asked. "Do you have someone at school you're interested in?"

"I've never really looked at guys that way before… I've always been busy, attending to my duties. So, no, there isn't anyone."

"Really? That's good—I mean, it's not good, but that's cool." Yukari stammered.

"You're so beautiful, though, Mitsuru-sempai. You should be with someone." Fuuka said.

"Yeah, I-I agree." Yukari added.

"Hey, nothing wrong with being independent!" Ezi chided.

"And _you?_ I know you're busy too, Ezi, but, what about you?" Fuuka asked.

"Noooo-"

Yukari intruded. "Then I gotta know what's up with you and Ryoji-kun! His pick-up lines are so lame, why would you-?"

"Calm down, Yukari! I swear we're not a couple." Ezi assured. "But, remember when he said I was familiar to him? I'm starting to feel the same way about him, too…"

"That's odd. Well, you're both from America, so maybe you two do know each other somehow."

"You should not be near him. He is dangerous." Aigis said.

"Aigis, I trust you, I do. That's why I'm playing it safe. But do you think NOW you could tell me why you think that?"

"I am not sure, but he is not good."

She cleared her throat. "Anyway! You seem to be doing better, Mitsuru. I could tell you were having fun today."

"Oh, yes. I decided I would help you all still in stopping the Dark Hour. It is what my father would have wanted, after all."

"Yes. I am going to keep on fighting too, to protect my friends like Kanto-kun and Natsuki-chan." Fuuka said.

"And I will stay to protect all of you as well." Aigis added.

"Right, and I want to make my father proud, too." Yukari said.

"Yes, we'll do it, together!" Ezi declared.

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "Leon-san. I know you have many reasons, but what is the main reason you still wish to fight in Tartarus?"

"Well, I feel like it changes all the time, but it's all for the same reason: to protect you guys."

"Yes, but what were your intentions before you knew us?" Mitsuru asked. "I remember how willing you were to help us, I thought it was a bit strange, but knowing you now, in a way, it makes sense. Still…"

Ezi swallowed. She realized she hadn't really explained her reason for coming to the island in the first place, the real reason.

"Okay, I suppose I can tell all of you now… But, can you keep it between us girls, please?"

"Of course!" Fuuka said.

"We would never disclose your personal information to anyone, Leon-san."

"You should know by now, you can tell us anything!" Yukari said.

She inhaled and exhaled. She had expressed some of it with Shinjiro, and even Ryoji, now. Surely, they wouldn't think she was crazy.

"Well! As you guys know, I had American education all my life. But transferring to a Japanese related school isn't why I transferred…"

"It's not?" Fuuka sounded flabbergasted.

"No… I only told everyone that. It was a lot easier to say than explain the real reason..."

"Real reason?" Yukari repeated.

She sunk into the water and closed her eyes. "Okay. Remember how I told you I had a trainer in America, that's why I'm so good at fighting? The truth is, I don't have a trainer… the truth is, I don't know how I'm so good at fighting."

"You don't know? But how can that be? Obviously you've had some sort of Tai Kwon Do or Karate practice. We've seen it in Tartarus when you battle!" Yukari recalled. "Your instincts are like at a professional level beyond your years!"

"If you weren't trained, then, how?" Mitsuru asked.

"Like I said, I don't know how. One day, I just had the ability. But you must understand, it's not the only thing I can't remember… I've lost my memory, or parts of it, indefinitely. I don't know when or how or what the memories are about, but there is a chunk of my life I can't recall. It's hard to explain, but, it's like, I can remember all of the normal things, like going to school and playing sports, but I can't remember some of the memories between those times."

"I'm confused…" Fuuka admitted.

"Um, how should I explain it?" Ezi pushed the hair trickling on her face back with the water. "Okay, let's say one day you woke up, and you could remember school, and the cooking club, even hanging out with your friends… but you couldn't remember the Dark Hour, no one could. Yet, still, you felt like there was something missing, but no matter what you did, you couldn't remember the Dark Hour, or any of our experiences during that time? Even if you had your evoker and you saw the Shadows, you still couldn't remember it?"

"Are you saying..?" Yukari waited.

"Yes. I have memories like that, memories that no matter what I do, I can't recall them… There's so many gaps in my memory, and no one in America really believed me, not even my closest friends…"

"So, you have erased parts of your memory? Then, why did you come here?" Mitsuru interrogated.

"I saw a therapist back in America… she was starting to believe me, that I really had lost my memories. But then, she disappeared, and the next one wanted to treat me like I had to get over it. I thought I was going crazy, I didn't know what was real and what I should believe. I was even considering giving up the notion that I had lost any memories, and maybe I was trying to get attention, or I had some other condition. But then, something happened…"

The girls waited, intently, for Ezi to continue.

"Between just us, right?" She swallowed.

"Just between us." Yukari affirmed.

Despite the hot waters surrounding her, Ezi felt a chill sliver through her back.

"Okay. One day, I was wandering around the mall, aimlessly with a friend of mine. I was so confused; I didn't know what to do with these paranoid thoughts of having lost memories. I was about to give up searching for answers. I had ditched my friend and wandered into a large department store, and in the back of the store, someone grabbed me from behind. He… chloroformed me, but only a little, to the point that I was weak." She looked up for a brief moment to see the girls with horrified looks on their faces.

"Um…" There was a lump in her throat. "It was some guy pretending to be a janitor. Apparently, he had grabbed girls at malls before. I was just unlucky… He dragged me into an employees only bathroom and he tried to…" She hadn't really told anyone. She had decided to go to Japan soon after the event. She hadn't taken time to reflect.

"He pinned me down, and started… I was so scared. I thought he was gonna do what he wanted, then kill me. At that time, an attack like that was scarier to me than it was when I was attacked in the dorm, because I was so helpless… All I could think about was how pathetic I felt…. But then, suddenly, I wasn't scared. It just sort of clicked all of a sudden, and I knew what I had to do to get him off of me, and I did it. I attacked him, using my legs to throw him down, and I broke his arm. I had awakened skills that I never knew I possessed in order to defend myself. I realized it was because of the action, not recollecting it from thought, that I had regained something from my lost memoires: my ability to fight. It must have taken me years to learn the training, so it was proof I wasn't making things up, and my lost memories were real."

"Wow…" Yukari was speechless.

"I knew my late parents were scientists, and they had worked in the Kirijo Group labs for a while. But, they had left the company long before the incident with the Shadows. Still, I thought if I was close to a place my parents had been, and where I had been before too, maybe I would have better luck unlocking more abilities or memories here than in America. All I knew was that I didn't want to be there anymore. My adoptive mother had withdrawn from me because of my little brother's death, and a lot of my friends thought I was crazy, so I didn't have much to lose coming here. I haven't recalled anything, but I know coming here was a good choice, because I got to meet all of you, and we can all work together to unlock our Personas and fight the Shadows. Maybe this has something to do with what I feel like I'm missing, but, I don't know for sure yet."

"Ezi-san, I had no idea…" Fuuka said.

"I knew you'd been through some stuff, but…" Yukari and the others grew silent for a moment.

Ezi nodded her head. "Yeah… so you guys believe me?"

"We've dealt with stranger things." Mitsuru said. "Besides, you are our friend, why would we think any less of you?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys before, I just couldn't afford to be seen as crazy here too before I started searching for answers."

"No, I get it." Yukari said. "Thank you for telling us."

"Phew! To be honest, I'm glad I finally said it!"

"Ezi, you've lead us all through Tartarus and helped us so much. We'll do what we can to help you find your memories!" Said Fuuka.

"Yes, of course, we will help you." Mitsuru added.

"I think I will be okay… I just need you guys to stick together as we keep on venturing through Tartarus, alright?"

"That can be accomplished." Aigis agreed.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Yukari cheered. "…Uh, after we relax, of course!"

"Yeah." Ezi smiled, relieved. "Let's take a breather." She sunk into the water, an anxious feeling seeping out from her. She had told them, and it wasn't as big of a deal as she had figured, and they were all still friends.

The girls sat in the warm springs for a while. They chatted about their day and things at school that were gossip worthy, then they relaxed in silence a bit more.

Yukari gasped. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Fuuka asked. Yukari sat up, and began eyeing the area.

"I thought I heard something…"

"Where?" Mitsuru and Yukari were standing up, now, looking around.

Ezi groaned; so much for a break. "Yeah, I heard it, too."

"I-it could be a ghost." Yukari guessed.

"I don't think these hot springs are haunted…" Ezi presumed.

"We should just look around real quick." Mitsuru decided. "I don't want us speaking about private matters if there are others present."

"Okay, Mitsuru sempai and Aigis, we should go this way." Fuuka said, shakily.

Yukari looked worried. "Then we can go right. Come with me, Ezi…" They split up and began to search.

"What if it's other guests in here on accident?" Yukari guessed. "We could get in trouble walking around like this…"

"Hmm… IS ANYONE THERE?" Ezi called out, but nothing replied.

"Great, no response… then what if it is a ghost?"

"Don't be silly." Ezi checked the hot water reserves, but she could only see steam coming out.

There was a splash around the large boulder beside them.

Yukari shrieked. "What was that? An animal?"

"Or a big, giant, bug."

"Ew, don't say that!"

"It's probably a person."

"But, no one called out when we did, so…Should we check on Fuuka and the others?"

Ezi squinted her eyes. She could definitely feel someone was there. "Let's check ahead, first. If there's a bug, I want to squish it."

"Okay, that's sort of weird, but…"

"Let's check the hollow of that rock!"

"I was deliberately avoiding that place! It's dark over there—Wait, wouldn't that be a perfect place for someone to hide in, too?"

"My point exactly, Watson!" Ezi and Yukari darted through the water to the hollow of the rocks. "Fuuka, Mitsuru, over here!" The other girls swam over to them and they all looked over at the rocks. It was a shock to see the movement in the hollow, but even worse was who was moving.

"U-uh!" Fuuka was speechless.

Junpei and Akihiko looked like dear in headlights.

"Uh-uh, we, um-!" Stammered Junpei.

"W-wait! T-This is just a misunderstanding!" Akihiko cried.

"Silence!" Mitsuru's voice boomed, shocking them all. "I'M GOING TO EXECUTE YOU ALL!"

"It was nice knowing you." Said Aigis.

Ezi said nothing, grimacing, as the girls chased after them. Mitsuru whacked Akihiko over the head, and Fuuka and Yukari managed to kick and beat Junpei up with a few slaps.

"You bastards!"

"You jerks!"

"Get out of here!"

Aigis and Ezi watched as they chased the half naked boys out of the hot springs.

"Ugh! I can't believe them!" Yukari screamed.

"They should be ashamed!" said Fuuka.

They could hear Mitsuru yelling at them outside of the door, in a harsh tone about how they should not get any sleep at night, and how they were going to be punished.

"This isn't over yet, girls." Mitsuru clarified upon return. The girls grabbed their towels and headed out of the springs as well, their night ruined.

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The students of Gekkokaun would be leaving Kyoto by bullet train in the afternoon. They had free range until then. In the daytime, Ms. Toriumi announced to everyone that they better meet at the Kyoto Station on time, or she would be to blame. Ezi already packed her things, and she met the other girls in the lobby to do some last minute sight-seeing.

"Well, let's go. Oh—" Fuuka was the first to see Junpei, Akihiko and Ryoji walking downstairs, completely dressed.

"G-good morning…" Junpei tried to say. Akihiko kept his eyes down.

All of the girls scoffed and ignored them. They took a quick, disgusted glance in their direction before walking by them to leave the inn.

"Uh… Did something happen?" Ryoji asked.

"Ryoji-kun!" Ezi yelled. She hugged him gently. "I'm so glad to see a _gentlemen_ such as you this beautiful morning!"

"Oh! Okay… But shouldn't I be saying something like that to you?" He blushed. She felt better with some power, probably making Junpei and Akihiko feel bad.

"We're going shopping, but I'll see you later!" She danced out, following the other girls.

"Dude! That was harsh…" Junpei said, more to Akihiko, who kept his eyes down.

"Okay, something definitely happened, right?" Ryoji insisted.

"Curse you, Kyoto!" Junpei grumbled. The boys went about their business for the rest of the trip, and the girls tended to their shopping.

.

.

On the bullet train back, they kept their distances, and said nothing to no one else about the situation, returning home from Kyoto by nightfall.

The boys had to bring the girls heavy bags up to their hallway, carrying all of the luggage back from the trip to the second to last top floor. Then, Mitsuru required them to do other chores, and even heat up dinner for them.

"We deserve this." Junpei said. They were putting the dishes away.

"You most certainly do!" Fuuka agreed.

"Mitsuru's not done giving us punishment yet, either…" He drawled, "I guess we'll have to do it, we owe you guys. And sorry again…"

"Just don't ever do something like that again, Stupei!" Yukari chided.

"Thanks for the red bean Nama-yatsuhashi, Ezi! It's supposed to bring good luck, and it tastes so good too!" Ken explained.

"No problem, glad you like it."

"I noticed the girls seem to be holding the guys in contempt, but I can't imagine why…"

"Some words of advice, Ken: Don't grow up and become perverts like them!"

"Huh? Oh, okay…"

Ezi was tired and headed up the stairs. She hadn't said much to anyone upon their return, and certainly didn't want to; she wasn't surprised when Akihiko hurried up the stairs to speak with her.

"Hey… everything okay?"

"Seriously?" She continued to stomp up the steps.

"Come on, you can't still be angry-"

"You know," She stopped and looked down at him on the stairs, "I expected a plot like this from Junpei, but not from you. And I'm not angry, I'm disappointed."

"Ezi—It was his idea! Besides, we didn't see anything, and—"

"That's not the point, Akihiko!" She snapped.

"It's not? Then, why are you so upset?"

She scoffed disapprovingly and passed to collect her thoughts.

"You weren't supposed to hear any of that, I didn't want you to! Besides, I'm sharper than that, I should have been able to sense you guys lurking around like the creeps that you are!"

"Creeps?" He sounded hurt. "Please, I don't want this to linger anymore than it has to. I don't want to talk about it—it's embarrassing enough that—"

"Oh, you don't want to talk about it, Akihiko? Fine, we don't have to talk about it." She continued marching up the stairs. "In fact, we don't have to talk about anything!"

"What? Ezi-"

"Stop following me! I…" She looked at him, one more time, with a sunken frown on her face.

He gasped, seeing her glistening eyes as if she were about to cry, but she didn't.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore."

Despite seeing his tenderly upset face, she hurried up the stairs. She was embarrassed; she had been exposed, not just by physical form. Tired from the trip, she cleaned up and went to bed.

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A/N: I did not include Ryoji in that scene to make things more dramatic for Akihiko and the protagonist. It doesn't make sense that you can keep talking to Ryoji without saying anything about the event afterwards anyway, and the time for this month must be spent with him before the next new moon, so it works out :3 Hopefully my own inserts weren't too bad as well~ Until next time!

 _Farewell, My Dearests~_


	30. Date 23: The Mad Hatter Prince 1

AN: Thanks again SO SO SO SO much for the follows and reviews and for reading this far! Sorry the chapters have gotten longer, but this is a long story and I wanted to insert all the details of the femprotag's relationships. Anyway, enjoy!

Date 23:

A Mad Tea-Party with the Prince(1)

Unfortunately, she was still grouchy about it the next day. They had to go to school on Saturday, and the students seemed to be complaining about the Career Experience starting on Tuesday. Junpei tried to small talk with her at the end of the day about having to be at school after a long trip, and that he was going to try visiting Chidori in the hospital after class.

Ezi and Fuuka raged about the guys again during cooking club, and made chocolate truffles for fun. When they got home Yukari told them Ryoji-kun had come to the dorm, and had hung with Junpei; it was rare for them to have visitors in the dorm. Aigis had been hiding herself on the second floor while he was there, and explained to Ezi that she thought she might overheat as she had been overthinking her worries about Ryoji—maybe she liked him for some reason, and she couldn't comprehend the human feeling.

.

Then, it was Sunday. She had promised to meet Ryoji, so she hurried to the Chagall Café.

"Kyoto was fun, going out with everyone, eating and seeing so many different things. Then we'd go to bed and do it all over again! It was so amazing."

"I agree. You've made friends quickly among everyone, Ryoji. It's because you're so nice."

He chuckled. "You were laughing a lot on the trip too. I'm glad you had fun with everyone as well."

She nodded her head.

"Oh, did you see this?" He held out his hand.

"You got a ring? Why a ring?" she asked.

"I guess its proof of the fond memories I've had made. Rings are mysterious. You keep them on, and it feels as natural as if you were born with it."

"I don't know. I've never liked rings… they get in the way when you play sports."

He chuckled. "I agree, they can be constricting too. But when I look at it, it reminds me of the good times I've had. I think that rings are the things that bind memories to the person who wears them."

"I should have been wearing one a long time ago, then…" She pondered.

"Either way, it's become a treasure of mine. I want more treasures too as life goes on."

"More treasures… you mean? More memories?"

"Sure! I've made so many already with all of you, being here has been—" He stopped. "Ezi?"

"What?"

He furrowed his brows. "Why are you, crying?"

"Huh?"

He reached out his finger and wiped the tear from her eye. "What's wrong? Was it something I said? Hey, come on, don't cry! I'm sorry!"

She sniffed, and lowered her head. "No! It's okay… It's not you."

"Then..?"

"…I thought, for a long time, I was going crazy, because I didn't have many memories like the ones you're praising about. But, since I've been on the island, I have made so many great memories. Before I came here, I told myself I was going to be more open, and meet more people, and I've had a great time with all of them, but…"

"But?"

"But I didn't see how precious those moments were until now. I've been so obsessed searching for something in my past; I haven't been paying much attention to all of the great things around me. My classmates, my friends at the dorm, you… You've all been giving me treasures, so, thanks."

"Ezi…"

"Sorry! I'm crying; I'm sorry!"

"Don't be." He smiled. "I'm actually really happy right now."

"W-why?" She wiped off her cheeks. "It's weird to be happy when someone else is crying."

"Because, you're telling me all of this. I'm just so glad you see me close enough to you that you would tell me all of this."

She had told him that so easily. Then, why was she mad Akihiko knew about her past, too?

"I've just, been thinking lately about it…"

"No, you wanted to tell _me._ " He said. She looked up at him.

She didn't get the choice to tell Akihiko, that's why.

"You're weird."

He chuckled. "And you're, familiar…"

Hearing him say it now, she almost believed him.

"So, these are tears of joy? Do you cry like this in front of other guys?"

She laughed. "Stop, you're embarrassing me!"

"It's good to share your true feelings, that makes the moments like these more precious. That's why I know I can make more treasured memories when I'm with you."

"Ryoji…" She managed to wipe the water off her cheeks, smudging whatever good makeup she had on.

He looked down, almost sadly, to the point his mouth was being covered by the ridiculously long yellow scarf he had on.

"Are you the one I've been waiting for this whole time?"

"What now?"

"…I know you. I feel like I've known you for a very long time." He seemed very distressed by this realization.

"Maybe it's the lost memories connection?" She wondered. "Maybe if we hangout enough, we can figure it out."

"Are you saying you want to spend more time with me?" He looked up, smiling with absolute delight.

"N-no!" She had wanted to. "Well… yes, I don't see why it would be a—"

Shinjiro.

She had loved him. Wouldn't it be wrong to pursue anything similar to that?

"Maybe I felt comfortable because you're familiar to me to. I've had to deal with some strange things coming here, but you're the only thing that's familiar to me. Well, let's just talk about what we do know, for now."

He beamed at her with some sort of unknowing delight. "Okay."

.

They chatted over warm tea about the trip, and he walked her back to the dorm, where he decided to hangout with Junpei.

"Yo, Junpei. You wanna head to the arcade?"

"Sure thing, dude! One second-" He approached Ezi. "Hey."

"Um, hi?"

"I have a question. She didn't see me, but yesterday the hospital told me they're thinking about releasing Chidori soon!"

"That's great, Junpei!"

"Yeah, but… do you think it'll be okay? Like, you think she can live a normal life?"

"Hmm," She smiled, "I bet if you guide her, she'll find the right path."

"Yeah." He grinned. "Thanks, leader!" He dashed out the door and followed Ryoji out.

"Those two like to hangout a lot." Fuuka said from the dining room.

"They're both players, so it makes sense." Yukari teased.

Koromaru barked and whimpered by the door.

"Ugh, I got it this time." Ezi said.

"Don't stay out too late and get tired." Yukari warned. 'We have Career Week coming up!"

Ezi nodded, and went to head out. Ken was returning and decided to join them. They talked about the last few days Ken spent in the quiet dorm, walked around the shrine, then they returned home.

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When the alarm rang, Ezi's room was green. She half expected to see Pharos at the foot of her bed. Fuuka awoke everyone and asked them to the fourth floor, claiming there was a Persona user in front of Tartarus.

"Sorry to wake you all, but I think there's someone there…"

"Just one person? Is it Strega?" Ken asked, worriedly.

"First the Dark Hour won't disappear, now Strega is back?" Yukari carped.

"I thought she was incarcerated…" Fuuka furrowed her brow as she focused on the persona user.

"What? Who?"

Fuuka cried out, and fell to her knees inside of Juno.

"Hey? Yamagishi!" Mitsuru yelled. Fuuka arose with her eyes closed, but she spoke:

"Long time no see."

"That voice… Chidori?" Junpei yelled.

"What? She's possessing Fuuka?" Ezi realized.

"I can't stand the sight of all of you anymore. Come to me…"

"Wait, Chidori!"

"Junpei, what's going on?" Yukari demanded. "Junpei?"

"Damnit I don't know! Just leave me the hell alone!" He dashed out.

Fuuka opened her eyes. "Oh…"

"Yamagishi, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm alright! She just used her Persona to catch me. We should hurry."

"Yes, this could be a trap, but it is Strega."

"Yeah, who knows what they're up to if they're at Tartarus." Ezi said. "Let's go!"

They hurried to the school, jogging, trying to keep up with Junpei. They found him in front of Tartarus, ducking and dodging Chidori's axe.

"Hey! You could hurt somebody with those!" He yelled.

"Junpei, why are you so persistent?" Chidori demanded.

"Chidori! You don't have to do this! Don't you get it? You could use your Persona for the better, like us! Please, Chidori…"

"Junpei…"

They were running to them, and they could see the other two Strega members emerging from the Tartarus entrance, Takaya and Jin.

"Strega! Those sons of bitches!" Akihiko cursed.

"You're still alive?" Ken said darkly.

Takaya raised his arms up. "Faith permitted me to live even when I have no fear of death. Anyway, it seems you've all poisoned Chidori. What a shame."

"Poisoned her?" Junpei repeated. "That's enough! Chidori-"

"Let's silence this nonsense, now." He raised his gun to Junpei.

"Junpei! Move!" Akihiko yelled. It was happening again. There was an urgency from Ezi to move, something she had felt when she was being straddled by her attacker in the mall. She was suddenly next to Takaya, but not before he pulled the trigger and shot Junpei. It all happened so fast.

He was on the floor, in Chidori's arms, bleeding out from the stomach; her friend, Junpei.

Ezi whacked the gun out of Takaya's hand, and he jumped away, shocked to see her there.

"Junpei…" Chidori looked stunned, shaking Junpei, who didn't move.

"Nooo!" Fuuka screamed.

Chidori was whispering something in the dead man's ear. _"Junpei, I used to not fear death… When I got this power, I knew the day I was going to die…"_

 _"_ _What?" Junpei said, weakly, in her arms._

 _"_ _Junpei, meeting you, I didn't want to die, because I was afraid of losing you. I want to be with you forever, Junpei."_

 _"_ _Chidori…" He coughed. "I want to be with you too."_

 _"_ _But… you and I are different. We live in different worlds, but you have a light in your world that I can never grasp. That's why you can't die here, Junpei."_

 _"_ _Die?"_

She placed her hand on his stomach, and spurts of light emerged from the wound, until it was completely gone. Junpei stood up, unharmed.

"Junpei, you're okay?" Yukari cried out. The others watched as he sat up form Chidori's lap.

"How?" He was speechless. There was a tear in his shirt, but the wound was completely gone.

"She revived him back to life…" Akihiko realized. "I can't believe it."

"I did it…" Chidori said delightedly.

"Her Persona… it's different from mine." Fuuka explained. "Juno can sense life, but Madea emits it. To bring back somebody to life, though…"

Chidori collapsed, and everyone watched as Junpei scrambled to place her in his arms.

"No! Chidori!"

"It's alright, Junpei… I can hear the life pulsing through you. Tonight was always going to be my end, it makes me happy that it was in this way. Now you and I can be together forever. I'll always protect you Junpei."

"Chidori, I'll protect you, too. Hang on! Please!"

"It feels so nice to be with you…."

"Chidori!"

"Thank you, Junpei." She smiled. "I love you." She closed her eyes and went limp in his arms.

"This can't be happening… Chidori… Chidori answer me!" Junpei was screaming, crying.

"What a meaningless death…" Takaya said.

"Meaningless?" Junpei screamed. He stood up and put his evoker to his head. "PERSONAAA!"

When Junpei's persona emerged, Chidori's lanky, long haired Persona was standing in front of Hermes.

"Medea?" Jin gasped. Hermes and Medea merged into Trismegistos, a red version of Hermes with an elegant eagle head with golden wings on its shoulders as well.

"Burn in hell!" Junpei yelled. Ezi moved out of the way as the new Persona flew towards Jin and Takaya, and it summoned an explosion of fire at them. They rolled onto the ground, hitting the walls of Tartarus hard.

Takaya, weakened, stood up. "You're all not trying to destroy Tartarus, I'll let you live, for now." He and Jin hopped down the stairs to the side and left. Ezi was about to go after them, but Yukari halted her.

"Wait…" Junpei tried to stand up, but he fell down again. Yukari held him down. "Let me go! I..!"

"She entrusted you with this life!" Akihiko snapped at him. "…Don't waste it."

"Chidori…" Junpei was on the floor again, exhausted. He caressed Chidori's cold cheek and wept. "This is so hard, but… it's not jst my life anymore."

"Junpei…" Fuuka and Yukari tried to help him up.

Strega had brought the same pain to them from not long ago. They had to be stopped—

"Ezi-san," Mitsuru summoned her, and whispered to her. "—I can get a coroner to take the body, but it won't be until after the Dark Hour is up, and we can't have a dead body in front of a high school, or they'll investigate it thoroughly…"

"So, then where?"

Mitsuru sighed. "We'll have to put her someplace else…"

Ezi watched as Akihiko helped Junpei up, and they wobbled back towards the dorm.

"…Okay."

As the rest of the team walked in silence, Ezi and Mitsuru dragged her body to an alley, a few blocks away from the school. It was hard to see Chidori lying on the dirty floor, so Ezi kept her body propped against the wall with her arms folded.

If she had merged with Junpei though, then…

"Is this just a shell of Chidori now? Is this what it means to be dead? Becoming a shell of what you once were?"

"Ezi-san…" Mitsuru tried to find the right words. "I'm sure there's more to it than that. Let's return to the others."

Junpei was going to be different, just as she had become different. It was going to take time, and Ezi wondered if there would be enough of that left for him to fully heal...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It was pretty simple assignment: she was to work at Wild-Duck Burger as a bus boy, cleaning up tables and picking up trash. The manager was pretty nice, and they talked about how great Wild Duck was for the rest of the lower developed countries because their ingredients were exported from places such as these. The days were longer than normal, not being that interesting. Ezi wondered how Junpei was doing. After the events in front of Tartarus, no one wanted to go. Everyone was rather busy, studying, homework, and having to work at their occupations for that week. On the last day, Friday, just before her shift was up, Ryoji came racing into the restaurant.

"Ryoji-kun, hey."

"Sorry, am I interrupting something? I just, really needed to ask you something…"

"Alright." Ezi took off her uniform in the back and put on regular clothes. She sat with Ryoji at one of the tables closest to the window.

"What's up?"

"Well, I was partnered with Junpei for one of the career jobs at the café, but he only showed up to one day, and it was because Mr. Ekoda threatened him. When he was there, he seemed so out of it, like he was dead… did something happen? I tried to ask him and he said he was fine, but obviously not…"

Ezi could feel the weight of carrying Chidori's body to the alley, and Junpei's screaming. She wanted to tell him everything; get it off her chest…

"He lost someone dear to him, recently…" She said.

"Oh, he lost someone precious to him?" Ryoji took a moment to process. "People die, and we have to accept that."

She looked up at him, shocked.

"Am I being cold when I say that?"

Shinjiro was caressing her face, they were intertwined together in his bed… then suddenly, he wasn't breathing on his own anymore, in the cold dark alley.

"No, you're not being cold. We do have to accept it, and live a good life for them…Although, I am tired of having to hear people say it."

"Yeah…" He cleared his throat. "You know, it's funny, I feel like I've said that to someone else precious to me."

"Maybe a relative in America?"

"No, that's not it… well, anyway, I'm really worried about Junpei. I hope he bounces back soon from this. I've never seen him like this before. I wonder if there's anything I can do."

"Yeah, me too." She sighed. "But really, I get it. He needs to mend on his own

"Um, I guess you're tired from working all day," He chuckled.

"Aren't you?"

"Nope, I could stay up all night."

"Don't do that. You need to rest."

"Concerned are you? Well, it makes me happy that you are."

"You're so weird." She sighed.

"But you don't seem to mind."

She stood up with a plain face. "No, I don't mind. Thanks for being worried about Junpei. I'll tell him you were asking about him."

"Thank you, Ezi-chan… are you okay?"

"Um…"

Was it guilt? Some kind of remorse? She was picturing both Chidori and Shinjiro, the victims of Strega. She felt terrible for Junpei, and the longing to see Shinjiro again was screaming in her mind.

"I'm not okay…" She admitted, "But, I will be. I'm just… worried about Junpei too."

"Okay…"

"I have to turn in my papers, show that I worked here today back at the school-"

"I'll go with you!" He said. "You don't mind the company, do you?"

"Of course not."

They walked quietly in the cold, the sun was almost down. Ryoji let her use her scarf until they got to the school. She dropped off her papers in the teacher's lounge, and they bumped into Mitsuru.

"Leon-san… things are finally slowing down lately."

"Ah, you girls need to talk—I'll talk to you later, Ezi-san." Ryoji took his scarf and left.

"We do need to talk. Um, you want to get something to eat?"

Ezi was flabbergasted. She had never gone out with Mitsuru, now that she thought about it. "Um, sure."

They went to the Ramen shop, uncomfortably close to the Wild Duck where Ezi had spent the last few days. They ordered there noodles and began conversation.

"Sorry, I haven't been to these local restaurants. Please tell me what the etiquette is here. Is there a custom to it I should know of?"

"What? Oh, no—just enjoy the food, I guess." Ezi shrugged.

"Alright, I can accomplish this."

"…So, how are you?"

"Better, now that there's less for me to do at the company… and there's not much to do in student council lately, either. I can focus on my studies."

"Well, that's great!"

"Speaking of which, I wanted to thank you, Leon-san. Your physical prowess has been more than efficient for our missions in the dark hour, but you have also been productive in your grades as well. I appreciate your hard work."

"Oh, thank you, Mitsuru… You know, I get most of my inspiration from you. You do all this hard work and manage to keep your hair beautiful!"

"Oh, thank you." She chuckled. "Leon-san, I was thinking about the other night, with Strega… I just, immediately asked you to help me with Chidori, and I was not thinking about how uncomfortable that may have been for you. I wanted to apologize."

"Mitsuru-sempai… you haven't asked me to do anything I'm not comfortable with. Getting my grades up, joining student council, the school events… It's thanks to you I tried these things. It's been busy, but a lot of fun."

"G-good… I have a reputation of pushing people to their limits, and they find ways to avoid my authority after that."

"Oh… you were making sure that wasn't the case with me? Don't worry, sempai. We're close enough, I'd let you know if you were pushing me too far by now. I'm okay."

"Alright, just with all of the circumstances you've been through-"

"We've all been through circumstances this year, sempai. We just gotta support each other."

"Yes, thank you."

Ezi was slightly thrilled by this time with her boss—no, a friend? Mitsuru had always been in authority, like a queen, or an **Empress.**

The girls ate their noodles and they headed back to the dorm, seeing several of the Lost along the path home.

.

The next day after school, everyone seemed to be in a funk because of Junpei's circumstances, from Ryoji to Aigis. At the dorm, Yukari showed them the box they brought from the hospital, and they decided to show Junpei in the lounge. Yukari pulled out a sketchbook.

"You won't be able to understand her drawings, anyway." He mumbled.

"Wow!" She exclaimed. "Who wouldn't understand this?"

"They're all pictures of Junpei!" Said Fuuka. Every sketch was, some temperature form of Junpei, from different angles.

"Chidori… It's like she's telling me to stop mopping around." Junpei said. He sobbed dry tears, and Koromaru seemed to whimper and nuzzle his nose under Junpei's hand.

"She would want you to use your strength." Fuuka said.

"Arf!"

He sighed. "Hey, Ezi…"

"Yeah?"

"I promise to help get rid of the Dark Hour. Usually, I'm just looking out for number one. So it's been hard for me to accept that you're leader, but… I'm sorry. I didn't know how you felt about Shinjiro until now… but I know, I gotta live for her, right?"

"Junpei…"

"I want you to know, I've got nothing but faith in your skills."

"I'm counting on you too." She nodded.

"Glad to hear it. It's not just my life now, right? I won't let you guys down."

"I'm glad to hear it…" Ezi nodded her head. She understood… he wasn't over it, but he was going to learn to live with it. He was strong enough for that.

.

.

.

She visited Akinari at the shrine, after praying for Junpei and the others. He had done illustrations of the pink alligator that were perfect for the book. Ezi was editing his writing as they talked.

"I'm glad you keep showing up to help me." Akinari admitted.

"If anything, I'm being treated; your creativity is great! You said you had relatives coming to see you at the hospital today, right?"

"Yeah, but… I don't really want to see them. They'll only pity me."

"You know, maybe so… but they can support you, too. It's nice to be with people you like—"

Her phone began ringing, and she looked down at it. Akinari chuckled.

"I'm guessing you really like whoever just called you. I've never seen you smile like that."

"Smile like-?" It was Ryoji. "Um, hold on a second, Akinari- Hello?"

"Hey! This is Ezi-chan? Right? It's Ryoji."

She laughed. "I know, silly."

"R-right! You wanna hang out?"

She looked over to Akinari. "Sorry, I'm already hanging out with somebody…"

"Oh, okay… another time, then!" They hung up, and Ezi looked up to see Akinari grinning at her.

"What?"

"I'm flattered, really, that you're so willing to help me; but I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't let you, you know, hangout with the guy you actually like."

She frowned. "Is it that obvious?"

"A little. It's okay, go on. I have to leave to meet my relatives soon anyway." He coughed a bit as he put his supplies away.

"Okay, at least let me help you carry this back to the hospital-!"

"No, no—" He started coughing again, and Ezi insisted, as he was too weak to do it alone. They walked in the cool breeze to the hospital, and Ezi said goodbye to him as he went into his hospital room with his parents.

She was just one floor below Shinjiro. There had been no visitors allowed, and she had used it as an excuse to not go to him, but now, she was here again…

She was creeping to his door, no nurses or doctors around to see her go in. She heard the machines wailing, and saw his bed covered by the white curtains.

No. She couldn't see him like this. Being this close to him was enough. She dared not pull the curtains away, to see him half dead on a white bed, out of his proper place.

.

 _This is how it should be_

.

"You want me to be happy? Well, it's hard. I want to be happy but I miss you. So much, even if you don't want me to miss you." She waited for a response, but nothing. "I fed your stupid cat in the ally the other day. He misses you, I think. You should wake up soon, or now, so I can be certain of what to do…." She tried not to cry, and she didn't.

"…Please, wake up now…"

The machines were roaring in a pattern. It would be too good to be true if he awoke; or maybe, it'd be a dilemma. She just felt awful about getting as close to someone else, even knowing this, as if she were going to cheat on him or something. But, he would want her to do this, and be happy… not suffering because of him.

"I get why you were so angry now. You knew I'd be hurt, but, you were going to let it happen anyway, huh?" She smiled sadly. "Okay, Shinjiro… thank you for your concern, but I'll feel how I want to feel about this." She turned to leave, and looked over at him one more time. "…Thank you."

She wasn't going to meet Ryoji. She went back quietly to the dorm, and found Fuuka reworking the Karaoke box.

"Heyy, does it work?"

"Ezi-san… Yes, it does! I even managed to download some more recent songs onto it using the command room."

"Wow, that's awesome! We're gonna belt it out tonight!"

Fuuka chuckled. "Ah, remember when Akihiko mentioned the computers were sort of glitch? It had something to do with the camera system. I tried to fix it so we could have proper surveillance around the dorm, but no good…"

"Oh yeah, Mitsuru tried to set it up after the dorm attack. I guess the system's busted."

"Maybe you could give it a shot?"

"Me? I know I'm great and all, but…"

"You might as well! No one else can seem to crack the code."

She had nothing else better to do… or at least, she told herself that. As she messed with the large computer processor, she tried to exploit all the areas involving the camera system. Finally, she figured that the video files were jamming signals and taking too much storage on the software, so she decided to start watching them all to see what she could delete:

The first one was of Mitsuru in Junpei's room. She was a bit startled to see there was a camera in there, and it was probably because Ikutsuki would spy on them, the bastard…

In the video, Mitsuru was heavily concerned there had been a robbery in Junpei's room and called Officer Kurosawa. They found Junpei asleep in the dorm somewhere later, and Mitsuru confessed she thought he had been robbed because his room was in such shambles, but it always looked like that.

When the clip ended, Ezi found more… She locked herself in the command room, wondering what the other videos contained. Everyone seemed to be on the cameras, unaware they were being recorded. Fuuka got Koromaru sick one time from her bad food, which no one knew about. Junpei and Akihiko were reading magazines of girls in bikinis one afternoon in the lounge when the girls were out. Ken had made a video of himself singing the Retroman theme song in his room. There had even been one of Ikutsuki… maybe he hadn't been spying on them, which to her was a relief. She deleted that one right away. There was one of Yukari in her room with the maid outfit on before she knew she would be wearing it to the café, and she was mocking how the boys would react to seeing her in it. It made Ezi laugh to see her so comfortably silly. Then there was a video of the kitchen—Koromaru—

Shinjiro.

He was wearing a pink apron, the only one they had at the time he had just moved back into the dorm, and he was watching a rather enthusiastic cooking show. He was wondering if they even had a pasta cooker when Fuuka and Aigis walked in. For some reason, he tried to pretend to be asleep…

"Oh! We should let Shinjiro-sempai get some sleep." Fuuka whispered.

"Arf-arf!"

"He says Shinjiro is not asleep. Also that he enjoys all kinds of shows like—"

"Okay! You don't have to tell me. Let's just let him rest." Fuuka's face was red as they walked upstairs quickly.

"Damn, I forgot she could speak dog talk." Shinjiro grumbled.

Koromaru whined.

"Hey, its not your fault Koro-chan. I'll make you a nice meal to next time." He was rather enthralled, petting the excited dog, and he had the kindest smile on his face…

The video ended and went to static. She jumped and tried to play the recording again, but for some reason, she couldn't rewind it.

"No… no! Come back…"

The white noise on the screen grew irritable, so she turned the whole thing off. Having had seen all the videos of everyone in their rooms, she was suddenly in front of Shinjiro's. She always saw it on the edge of the boy's hall, like a dark corner she had blocked from her mind when she would go upstairs, but now she was standing in front of it, and the door was unlocked.

The bare room had a box on his desk with his axe in it. Still, she decided to explore the room; not that there were many places to look. If she died, they would have to pack up quite a bit more things—maybe she would condense her useless items-

In the box there was an envelope. Her heart dropped when her eyes fell on her own full name written in decent handwriting on the front of it. No way…

Had he really? She ripped the letter open, and read the contents inside without any hesitation:

 _Hey,_

 _I'm such a coward, I couldn't even find a way to say this in person. We talked about regrets, though, and I didn't want to leave any behind, especially if it concerned you, you idiot._

She felt an overwhelming joy, and she was gasping for air as she continued to read the letter designated to her:

 _I'm sorry about all of it. I know you're probably really upset, but you can't cry. You look best when you smile, and when you're happy with your friends. I didn't know enough about you from your past, and I know it plagued you for some reason, but you should know, the you I see today, doesn't seem to need a past. The you you are now can move forward, without looking back. I envy you for that, even though I know its probably going to be hard for you. I really want you to move forward, because I know how important time is. The two years I felt regret felt like an eternity, and I was slowly dying in the process. I didn't get a chance to do all the things I wanted to do, because I kept looking back. But, you can. Move forward, this is all I ask._

 _Sincerely, with love,_

 _-Shinji_

"Sincerely _and_ with love? Idiot…" She was crying like a baby seal, on her knees; the overwhelming cascade of thought and joy and pain seemed to hit all at once. It seemed even she needed a reminder to move on once and a while.

She wondered if Akihiko had received a letter like this before, and maybe that helped him before. Or, maybe he knew Shinjiro more to know what he wanted. He wasn't awake, but it was surely insurance enough for her… What a Sunday.

She called someone on her phone.

"Hey… yeah. It's me. I'm sorry about before, I was taking care of something that needed to be dealt with before I could talk to you again… Yeah, I'm okay now. Do you still have time to meet? What, why there? Well, okay… I'm excited to. I'll see you in a bit."

.

Ryoji had met up with Ezi near the school, and they began conversing about their day and what they'd been up to.

"I'm glad Junpei's doing better." He said. "He had me worried, but he hit me up to play at the arcade later."

"Why didn't you just meet him now?"

"Because I wanted to see you too."

"Why didn't you just meet us at the same time, then? I'm good at video games too."

He laughed. "Maybe sometime then we can all go. I just wanted to be alone with you." They stopped walking in front of the school. "Wanna go in?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

"I'll help you over-" He began to prepare his hands to lift her up, but she was already over the gate.

"Hurry up!" She whispered.

"Whoa…" He scrambled up the gate. He looked so scrawny, and it made her laugh.

He hopped down. "What?"

"Nothing, come on…"

The gym door in the back was always unlocked, so they got in from there.

"These hallways look like a zombie apocalypse is about to happen… or an Apathy Syndrome apocalypse."

"Apathy Syndrome?" He echoed.

"You haven't seen all those dull people walking around? Nobody knows why they keep showing up, but some people just walk around with apathy… it's weird."

"Is that so… it sounds familiar."

She laughed. "Everything sounds familiar to you."

"Oh- hey!" He reached the knob to the music room, but it was locked. "Darn it."

"What?"

"I told Konami I would get his flute. I forgot when we were in school, though."

"Oh… you know, I can play a mean piano."

"Really?"

"Yep!"

"Would you play for me sometime?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Let's go to the roof… it's beautiful out." Ryoji led Ezi by the hand. She wasn't bothered by the fact he had eagerly grabbed it; it was fun, being in an abandoned school, like some kind of journey.

"Hey, what if we're seen up here?" He said when they sat on the bench.

"We'll just have to not be seen, then." She grinned.

He laughed. "I see… you're an interesting person."

"I'm not that great. I have my flaws, too. You act like somehow I'm different from everyone."

"To me, you are." He said, seriously. She swallowed. There he went being all sincere again.

"I wanted to tell you something, but you'll think I'm weird." He said, his mouth was covered by his scarf as he lowered his head.

"I already think you're weird."

"When I'm alone, I don't feel right. I feel great when I'm with you, though… but thinking of you scares me, too. The thought that tomorrow will come, scares me, but I can't figure out why."

"You're just scared of the unknown future, that's normal."

"No, it's like I have this memory of what tomorrow will bring, and it scares me, but I can't remember…"

She stood up. "Scares you?"

"Something bad is going to happen, and it scares me. But, I feel better when I'm with you."

He was really distraught, and Ezi didn't like seeing him this way.

"Ezi… I'm…I'm…"

"You're Ryoji."

He looked up at her, almost stunned, then he smiled. "Hearing my name from your lips makes it sound so wonderful."

"I try." She sounded confident, but there was grumbling in her stomach.

"Ezi," he grabbed her hands, gently. "I don't want to lose you. You're so important to me, that's why I'm scared. You're the only one there is for me, the only one I want. So please… stay with me."

"Ryoji…"

They stared at each other for a long time. She didn't know what to say, it seemed so sudden. Also, she liked this, being precious to someone, even if for only a moment.

"Okay."

"Yeah, thanks… You're the most precious thing in the world to me… more precious than my own life."

"Don't say that! I'm not She chuckled. "You know, a year ago if a boy told me all the things you just said, I would have thought they were nuts. But for some reason…"

"I can't explain it myself. But I know you're very dear to me, Ezi."

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "We're so screwed if somebody catches us."

They both laughed and then settled into triumphant silence.

"The ocean glimmering from afar is so beautiful." He said. "Why does it hurt when I see things that are so beautiful? It's so strange."

"You should become a poet, get all the baby feelings out."

"Hey, don't tease me!" He poked her sides. "I'm serious!"

They spent more time together, watching the sunset until night. They left before the security showed up and they would caught there.

.

The next day, Ezi walked to student council and found that Chihiro was the only one there.

"Do you know if Hidetoshi's okay?" She said, worried. "Student council was cancelled, and he was summoned by one of the male teachers… he seemed really angry."

"The teacher or Hidetoshi?"

"Huh? The teacher…"

"Right, sorry. I should go make sure he's okay. It's not like him to cancel a meeting." Ezi hurried to the faculty lounge, and some people were walking by, listening in to the yelling teacher inside.

"…Put her name on the list!"

Ezi practically put her ear against the door. If this teacher was going to get crazy, she was ready to fly in.

"Ezi was chosen by the student council President to be in the council. She's very responsible. That is why I don't consider her a suspect."

It was harder to hear Hidetoshi's voice, whose calm contrasted with that of the yelling teacher.

"There 's witnesses who saw her wandering the streets at midnight!"

 _Oh shit._ She thought. Had someone seen her during the Dark Hour?

"A high school girl walking the streets at night? There's only one explanation for that, isn't there? I thought you didn't like students who don't follow the rules!"

"I don't doubt the witnesses…"

Oh crap. Her nights of gallivanting were finally catching up to her in her day life; lead it to the gossipers at this school to cause more problems for her.

"…But I believe in Ezi-chan, so I'm not adding her to the list of suspects. Besides I thought we were discussing the kids that have been smoking on campus? Your accusations are of bad behavior… Are you trying to slander her? What exactly do you intend on doing with her if she's on the list?"

She heard the teacher sigh, loudly, dramatically. "I never thought you'd fall for a girl. In the end, you're just like the other adolescents interested in girls, huh?"

"If that's what you think. If you'll excuse me-" He opened the door, and Ezi stepped away. He gave her a smug look.

"You were listening?"

"I, was worried why you cancelled the meeting. Um, you defended me?"

He closed the door behind him. "It may have sounded that way, but I was doing what I thought was right."

"Well, you were right… I was out at midnight, but I wasn't doing anything I wouldn't be doing here."

He smiled. "I know. Don't worry, if the whole school turns on me, I wouldn't sell you out."

"That's a senior teacher… why is he being such a hot head?"

Hidetoshi hesitated. "Be careful of that teacher. You don't seem to know why he's got his eye on you."

"Huh?"

He walked passed her. "Just keep away from him. I gotta go, but if something happens, call me."

"Hidetoshi, thanks!" He was really looking out for her.

.

After that, Ezi met up with Mitsuru and they walked back to the dorm together. She discussed the bizarre incident with Hidetoshi and the teacher, and Mitsuru listened intently.

"I apologize I was no able to attend. I may have been able to deal with the matter."

"No, it's okay. Hidetoshi's changed, don't you think?"

"Yes. We've all changed, whether we wanted to or not."

"Speaking of change, let's get food somewhere you've never eaten before!"

"Oh, what do you mean?"

They went to Wild Duck Burger. Ezi was craving French fries. Once again, Mitsuru failed at understanding the commoner's way of dining on fast, finger food. She expelled all of her tremendous responsibilities as the soul owner of the Kirijo group, and it appeased Ezi to hear her being honest with her anxieties rather than how she normally acted everything was under control.

After a revealing dinner, they returned to the dorm. Upon arrival, Mitsuru and Ezi saw Ryoji, Junpei and Fuuka in the lounge.

"Oh, Ezi-san!" Fuuka greeted. "Ryoji-kun was here playing games with us, but he was just leaving."

"Welcome back!" He said. "Shame you weren't here. I was hoping to see you."

"Oh, well, here I am. You saw me."

He chuckled. "Well I gotta go, so I'll see you later." He brushed by the girls quickly, but he took the moment to whisper in Ezi's ear as the others greeted each other:

"Can I go to your room next time? I'm looking forward to it."

Her mouth opened slightly, and he seemed amused, grinning at her response.

"Bye everyone!"

"See you, man!" Junpei said, and Ryoji left.

"Ezi-san? Are you feeling sick? Your face looks a little flushed…" Fuuka noticed.

"Huh?" She felt her hot cheeks. Dammit! How could she be embarrassed by what he had said?

"Was that Ryoji-san?" Aigis came down the stairs.

"Yes, he just left."

"He is dangerous."

"You think so?" Fuuka said. "Why do you say that, Ai-chan?"

"I do not know, but whenever he is around…"

"Well, he did hit on Mitsuru the first time he met her."

"I've been seeing him do that less and less… Not at all lately, actually. Not since we got back from Kyoto." Junpei said.

For some reason or another, this made Ezi happy.

"He seems like a good guy, Aigis…" Fuuka continued.

"But, aren't students not allowed here in the dorms?" Aigis pressed.

"Well, he has been cheering Junpei up, and he's a lot of fun. Besides, Mitsuru said it was okay during the day." Fuuka explained.

"I did say that, especially if his presence will be helpful to Iori-san."

"Well, it's not like moping around is gonna bring her back."

"I envy you, Junpei…" Aigis said. "I do not know this feeling you have, what it means to 'live'."

"You seem pretty alive to me." He said.

"I am just 'functioning" like a living person, but I do not know what it means to live or die."

"Heh, if we were all like you, none of us would need to worry about death…" He sighed, "let's not talk about this. I heard the math test is gonna be killer, so I'm gonna go study."

"You wait until now to tell us?" Yukari whined. Everyone headed up the stairs, but Ezi wanted to talk to Aigis more.

"Aigis… you have to tell me why you don't like him."

"He is not good for you, Ezi-chan." She said.

"Aigis… did you feel that way about Shinjiro, too?"

"Feel..?" She griped her uniform on the chest. "I…I don't know… My feelings, I am not sure they are feelings, just a thought I have."

"Aigis, I think you're confused. Maybe you do have feelings, you just don't know how to handle them yet."

"All I know is that he is dangerous… and I, don't want anything to happen to you, Ezi. You're precious to me. I want to protect you."

"Whoa, Aigis—"

"It was my mission before, but now I am concerned. I want to keep you and the others safe."

"Aigis. I know you are a machine, but I've never seen you as just that… You care about people, and I think because you're a robot, you don't understand that caring feeling, but it's there."

"Do you think so? Maybe you are correct…"

"Maybe you should give Ryoji a chance. He thinks of me as precious too…"

"He does?"

"Yeah. I don't know what confused feelings you have, but you do have me worried. You think you can tell me once you have it figured out, before you do anything?"

"Alright…"

"Thank you." Ezi smiled.

"If anything were to happen to you, I…"

"Aigis, don't worry about me so much."

"I will try not to. You are very special to me. I do not know why, but I always want to be by your side."

She sounded like Ryoji. Aigis apologized for disrupting her studies and left, but Ezi was still concerned as she watched Aigis leave. Not just on account of Ryoji's presence, but for other scenarios, lately, Aigis seemed conflicted. Perhaps, finally… She was becoming more human? Either way, it made Ezi uneasy about Ryoji. Even the thought of perusing another relationship… all of it was happening too fast.

.

.

She couldn't think much about it when they were in Tartarus that night. The monsters seemed to be growing, and the floors in Harabah were much larger and intricate in terms of being an actual maze.

There were Immoral Snakes, Mighty Beasts and Battle Wheels that chased after them in a fury, with killing intent. The slow but destructive Stasis Giant was the most difficult, being nearly impenetrable and swinging heavy strikes with their blades that caused earthquakes. The Red Tables threw weapon at them, and the Phantom King was a lantern in a white cape, and it casted light spells under their feet.

Ezi jumped up gracefully to knock the creature down, and it fell forward like a pencil. Everyone preyed upon it and used their weapons to sting it away.

After a long travel upwards, there was one more floor with a wandering person they had to find.

"I'm exhausted," Junpei admitted, "but, we can't leave that person in here."

"Yeah, let's split up again. These floors are so much bigger and we don't have time to mess around." Akihiko declared. He and Junpei and Ken went with Koromaru south, and Ezi Yukari and Mitsuru with Aigis headed in the other direction.

"Let's go!" Mitsuru swatted a Gracious Cupid. Another tried to shoot three arrows; a torrent shot that Aigis managed to block with her plated exterior, Ezi ran ahead to find the missing person in the hall ahead. She turned the corner and saw Ryoji standing there, with his head thrown door, and he was crying the way he expected him to since the day he said he could cry. His face covered and he was on his knees in shame.

"Ryoji-kun?" She found it strange to see him there, standing in the middle of the dotted pattern in an empty hall with blinking, twirling lights. "Are you okay?" His crying seemed to echo, and Ezi was trying to remember something from—

"Leon-san!" Mitsuru was behind her and she pulled her back, turning around to face her. "What are you doing? Run!"

She could hear the chains where Ryoji had been sulking. She didn't turn around as the both ran in the other direction, away from the Reaper that had been there the whole time.

"Death is right behind you! Run!" Fuuka screamed. There was a gunshot and an explosion hit the ground in front of their path, but they jumped over it and kept running. "Turn left, then right! Get off that floor now!"

Following the sensor's directions, they caught up with the others; Akihiko ahd a boy on his back and they all hurdled down the neon lights of the swirling staircase as they pushed one another up to the next floor. When the new area was clear, they caught their breaths.

Junpei looked back at the stairway. "That thing better not follow us!"

"It never has before." Ken said.

"I'll use Juno's new teleport ability to provide you an escape route off that floor with the person." Fuuka said in their heads. "I'll try to hurry but it takes time… sorry, I couldn't do it when you were all scattered."

"It's okay, you did well, Yamagishi." Mitsuru turned to Ezi. "What were you thinking? Did you try to face the Reaper all on your own?"

"No—"

"Why were you just standing there?"

"Sempai?" Yukari seemed confused that she was disciplining Ezi.

"I-I don't know. I spaced out—"

"That's a pretty lame time to space out." Junpei grumbled. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah… I thought the noise I was hearing down the hall was a missing person. Sorry."

"The Reaper seems to be getting smarter. M-maybe it tricked Ezi-san somehow." Ken analyzed.

"Yeah! That must be it." Yukari agreed.

"I wouldn't take you for somebody to fall for cheap tricks." Mitsuru folded her arms.

"It's freaken Death personified into a floating Reaper with barrel guns—what do you want from me?"

"Calm down you two. It's over and we're safe, that's all that matters." Akihiko sighed. "Let's get this person home and call it a night."

After the deadly encounter, they called it a night. Maybe the spinning lights and designs of Tartarus were getting to them.

.

.

.

The next day, Ezi tried not to think about the illusion she had seen in Tartarus, but she saw Ryoji after school and thought of it immediately.

She tried to act cool. "What's new, Scooby Doo?"

He had a rather concerned look on his face. "…Ezi, hey. Um, want to hangout today?"

"Y-yeah. What'd you have in mind?"

"Ah, well… Hey, if it's alright… Could I come to your room?"

"…What are you plotting?"

"N-nothing! There's… Something I want to talk to you about. It's important."

She thought about their connection, and she decided that was more important then any concern to a boy's intentions of intruding in a girl's room…

Not that she minded that either.

"Okay. Let's go talk."

She led Ryoji by the hand up to her room, and when they were in it, she was relieved they had not been caught.

She sat on her computer chair, and he stood as he looked around the space.

"I think this is my first time," He sounded mystified.

"Uh, you're gonna have to take me out first." She teased.

"What? No! I mean, this is my first time in your room, but… I feel like I've been here before….Maybe its just something I dreamed about, because I've wanted to come here."

"Smooth, Romeo."

"I'm serious!" He insisted, even though he was laughing.

"I did want to talk to you, though." She said, seriously. "Aigis thinks your dangerous, and you keep saying I'm familiar…I want to be on both of your sides, but I trust Aigis, and at the same time, I want to know why you're so drawn to me, because I think it's sincere."

"Then, you trust me, too." He sounded happy.

"Y-yeah, but… Well, I was hoping, you could help me out."

"Anything. I'll do what I can."

"These things about the future that scare you when you think of me… please, do you know what they are? Tell me the truth if you know something. I… I don't think I can take…"

"What?"

She felt weak, but, maybe Ryoji was some sort of key to her remembering what she lost. "You are so strange, but I don't care. I feel I'm close to you, too. Even so, I have lost memories I cannot recall, no matter how hard I try. Please… do you know what my lost memories are?"

"Ezi…" He paused, "I don't know what you think I know, but I swear, I'm in the dark, same as you. You think I have some idea of what your lost memories are? I don't know who I am half of the time! All I know is when I'm with you…"

"Yes?"

He sighed. "I think that I did come here to see you, probably to become friends. I just so badly want to be close to you, the familiarity of you, this feeling I can't explain… But, I think I got it all wrong. I think what we have is different from friendship. I see Yukari-chan and Junpei as friends, but I can't imagine seeing them the way I see you."

"Ryoji… you're, confusing me…" She said, sadly.

"I know! I'm sorry… On the roof, I asked you not to leave me, and you willingly said yes. You have no idea how happy you made me, but…You have a such a kind heart, you shouldn't give so much of yourself to me. I'll probably make you sad."

"What?" She was in shock. Shinjiro had said the same thing to her. "You-! Who are you?"

"What?"

"Are you planning on leaving soon? Dying? Tell me the truth! Let me guess, you like me, but you have other things to attend to, right?"

"No-!" He said, distressed. "Nothing like that. I don't want to leave you, Ezi. I, I'm saying… You're so precious to me. If I were to do anything to make you upset, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"Ryoji…Why me?" She fell into her seat, not looking at him. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Doing this?"

"I liked someone before, you know… he left. He said what you said, that he would make me sad. I can't do that again, I won't do that again!"

"Ezi! You got it all wrong! I'm in pain, too… I just, don't know how to explain my feelings… It's probably wrong, the way I feel about you. It feels like forbidden love, like it almost isn't real!"

"Ryoji…" Love? It hadn't been that long, and he was confessing now?

"I just didn't know what you'd think if I told you this… that's why I thought you'd be sad; if you didn't feel the same way about me, it would end our friendship. I don't want that—I don't want to be away from you. If you want me to tell you everything I know, I will, if you want me to help you find your memories, I will, until the end of time."

"You…" It was a lot to take in. Maybe he cared about her too much, but she was willing to take in his sincerity and help.

"Say something, please. Or at least, touch me, so I know I'm real!" He lowered his head. "Feel for yourself I'm actually here and I'll do whatever I can." She quickly grabbed his hand and placed hers under his, propped on his knee.

"Ryoji, I know you're telling the truth. I've had issues in the past trusting people, but coming here, I decided I would end that. I'm sorry I pressured you."

"It's alright… You had every right to…" He looked down, his face was pink, not as pale as it usually was. "Your hand is warm." He stroked her hand with his thumb. "It makes me so sad. Why is that? Please tell me… There's this pain deep inside."

"I wonder why…"

"Then… this is real?" He smiled. "I never thought I'd have this feeling before. Ezi…"

"Ryoji…You stand up for your feelings, you're polite to others, and you care about them, too. I thought that was so strange, because not many people are this way… but what's so strange about that?"

"Ezi, thank you…" He was closer to her face, their body heat was bouncing off each other. He looked up at her and she wasn't sure which way to move as he leaned in. She closed her eyes—

Koromaru was barking in the stairway. They both looked at her door.

"Shoot!" She shot up. "Someone's here."

"Who?"

"I don't know! But you have to leave!"

She grabbed his arm and they searched around the room.

"I-I could go out the window…"

She nodded. "You should go out the window… There's a tree you can climb down. I hate to have you do this, but they'll talk if you are here alone with me."

"I know." He smiled. Ezi managed to jiggle the window open up enough to let him out.

"Thank you again." He said.

"Yes, same to you... now, shoo!"

"Ezi!"

"What?"

"One more thing." He leaned back into the room and kissed her gently on the lips. It was quick but it was enough to make her jump up in a startle.

When he observed her, he was grinning like the Cheshire cat, teeth and all.

"Why, you-!" She stammered, and seemed to push him in her embarrassment.

"Whoa!" She grabbed his shoulders before he could fall.

"J-just go!" She looked back at her door.

"Yeah. Until next time, Ezi-chan." He winked and hopped over the ledge and grabbed the tree. She snickered to herself as she watched him go down the tall planted oak in the back of the dorm. When he was out of sight, she returned downstairs to the lounge.

"Hey, guys!" She greeted Junpei and Yukari.

"Man, you were supposed to help me study in the library, remember?"

"Junpei… I am sorry I drew a blank." She smacked the side of her head.

"It's okay, you're busy." He said. "You okay? You look sick."

"Why?"

"Your face is red." Yukari stated. "Ryoji wasn't here, was he?"

Ezi's eyes widened. "What, why would you think-?"

"I'm just kidding!" She laughed. "Of course he wasn't here. Hey, Ken!"

Ezi turned to see Ken standing in the dining room entrance, his head cocked down to one side. "H-hey."

"Did you just get here, little man?" Junpei asked.

"No…I have been here for a long time."

"Oh, then I guess you're ready for a knock down in Featherman 3000!"

"I…" He looked up at Ezi, like he was scared. "Uh…yeah, we can do that, Junpei."

"Great! Let's battle it out!"

While they battled it out, Ezi went with Mitsuru and took Koromaru alone to the temple. She was thinking a lot about Ryoji, and how they almost… she didn't care. What did she have to lose, being close to him? If anything, they were both missing something; the connection they felt even felt superficial, it was so twisted and knotted in impossible memories. Maybe they could help each other find their lost memories, but so far they had only seemed to get closer to each other.

"I am sorry about yester night's excursions." Mitsuru said. "I was rather worried when the Reaper was coming towards you, that's all."

"I know. Thanks, sempai."

Koromaru took them to the shrine, in the back. He returned to her after digging under the porch with a dirty collar.

"Koromaru, is this your old collar? From when you were with the monk?"

The dog barked, wagging his tail eagerly.

"We're comrades, huh? Thank you, Koro-chan."

Koromaru yipped happily, and rubbed his nose under her hand. They walked back cheerily to the dorm and went to rest.

...

.

.

.

A/N: I know there was not much Akihiko in this, but they're not really talking remmeber? Plus I wanted to get through the Ryoji part sort of quickly. I feel like the Shinji letter was forced, but I wanted it for later relationships when i wrote it the first time, so I decided to keep it in.

Thanks and farewell, my dearests~


	31. Date 235: The Mad Hatter Prince 2

A/N: Heya! Fast update. I already have finished the entire time, it just requires editing before I post it, plus this chapter is shorter :3 Thanks again for the reviews and follows! And now, the climax:

~Persona 3 Portable~

Date 23: The Mad Hatter Prince (2)

She felt excited about everything. The next day was December 1st, one day before the new moon. After the math test at school, Ezi went and ate with Rio and some of the girls from the team.

"There's this great show I've been watching called the Bachelor! It's so good, it's about finding true love!" The girls were discussing various topics.

"Ezi-san, how's that Tanaka show? You've been watching it, right?" Rio asked.

"Nah, been too busy with my own things…"

"Like homework, basketball… finding a boyfriend, maybe?" One of the girls teased.

"What? Not really…"

"Not really?" Rio's voice boomed. "Ezi-san, I know it's scary, but I have to help you find one! I mean, you helped me and Kenji a lot… If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the courage to ask him about his feelings!"

"It's complicated Rio… Maybe I can tell you another time."

She went home and was greeted by everyone hanging out in the lounge.

"Yo." Junpei said first. "Tomorrow is a full moon, but…"

"Yeah, no Shadows."

"We should stay cautious." Mitsuru alerted.

"Yeah. I went and hangout with Ryoji today, but he didn't seem like himself."

"I wonder why." She flushed red at the thought, then headed to the kitchen.

She decided it wouldn't bother her. She liked seeing him, but that didn't entitle her to knowing where he was all of the time.

At dinner, Fuuka and Yukari went out to dinner, Junpei and Akihiko did as well, and Mitsuru had Kirijo Group business to attend to. Ezi thought of everyone that had left the dorm while she cooked Ken and Koromaru dinner. She had insisted she would cook. She wanted to keep her mind busy. She didn't want to rush Ryoji, but she wanted his help in finding the lost memories soon. She also thought about Akihiko, and how they hadn't spoken in a while.

"This rice is delicious, Ezi-san." Ken said as he ate at the table.

"Arf!" Koromaru agreed.

"No problem. Cooking is so relaxing sometimes, I'll do it for you more often!"

"I think I want to cook more, too. You and Fuuka seem so good at it, and I know my mom would want me to eat healthier foods, so I can just make them!"

"Exactly." She cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes while they ate.

He seemed quiet for a moment, and spoke quietly when everyone else was away. "If you wanted to bring someone close to you here in the day earlier, I wouldn't care."

"You..?" Oh crap. She understood, now. "You wouldn't be, huh? That's why you didn't tell anyone Ryoji was here yesterday?"

"It was Ryoji-kun?" He exclaimed. "Oh, man! I didn't know you two were-!"

"Shh!" She insisted, even with no one else in the dorm. "It's not that! We're not actually, officially doing that. He's more of somebody I connect with in a weird way, and I can't explain it…"

"Wow…" He looked at his bowl. "I will not tell, Ezi. I have no reason to."

She smiled. "Thanks, buddy."

.

Ezi realized Ryoji hadn't been in class at all the next day.

"Ezi-san," Aigis was with her as they walked in. "I intend to do my best to protect everyone."

"Aigis… is everything okay?"

"Do not worry. I merely wished to share my feelings."

The robot seemed to come a long way. The day dragged, especially since she couldn't find Ryoji. Maybe all this memory mumbo-jumbo had scared him off, but she didn't think that could be it. Mr. Ekoda was yelling about heroines in novels, and they had another pop quiz in math to keep her busy. She walked home with Junpei and Yukari. When the day ended.

"Hey, did you see Aigis today?" Junpei asked.

"Uh, I saw her a little while this morning, but not recently. Fuuka told me she has been coming home later and later. Maybe she'll show up soon."

"Maybe she's meeting someone." He guessed.

Ezi blew a raspberry. "Aigis? She is… confused about feelings, but I don't think she's be meeting some secret boyfriend without us knowing..."

After they gathered that early night, Fuuka announced they wouldn't be doing an operation, but she would summon Juno. Still, Mitsuru told everyone to not tire themselves out studying for the exams, and they went about their businesses on the higher floors of the dorm. Ezi sat on the couch and did nothing in the lounge. There was elation in her thoughts— She so badly wanted to call Ryoji to see where he'd been all day, but she decided they would discuss it tomorrow, since he hadn't text her back just yet. She decided to nap before the Dark Hour, and when she did, she had the strangest dream…

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

.

.

.

.

 _Aigis was standing on the bridge encased in the Dark Hour's moonlight. Blood trickled down the metal bars, and another figure approached her._

 _"_ _I've been looking for you… what are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _Well, to answer your question, I ended up here when I came to my senses. It's strange… the sky and the ground look so weird, and there's no one here… Something terrible has happened here, and yet I feel at peace."_

 _Aigis scowled. "…Have you forgotten?"_

 _"_ _Forgotten what?"_

 _"_ _The Dark Hour: a time period few people are active during. But you, you've somehow adapted to it, too well for a human, in fact—I sensed you were awake on the trip when the Shadow attacked, and now, today. Yes, it's all so clear. I understand this feeling I sense when you're around. You are not good… you are my enemy!"_

 _"_ _It doesn't have to be that way, Aigis…"_

.

.

…The alarm went off during the Dark Hour. She panicked. Ezi ran up to the command room to see Fuuka and the others gathered around.

"Where's Aigis?" She asked.

"She's not here… now I'm worried." Fuuka admitted.

"Something's wrong…." Ezi said quietly. This wasn't a coincidence that Aigis had gone missing.

"Fuuka, locate Aigis." Mitsuru ordered.

"I will do my best." She said. For a few minutes, they waited around. It would be effortless to go out and search the entire island now.

"I'm not sensing any large Shadows, but…" Fuuka gasped. "There! I sensed Aigis's Persona! But it was only for a moment. On the Moonlight Bridge!"

"Alright, let's tread cautiously, but quickly!" Mitsuru yelled. What on earth was Aigis up to this late without them?

When they finally reached the dark bridge, they found two figures. The first was Aigis, short-circuiting and lying on the floor. Parts of her were strewn everywhere. The other figure was standing, incased in the bridge's shadows.

"Aigis! Oh no!" Yukari cried.

Koromaru growled at the standing presence before them.

"Hey, you okay, Aigis?" Junpei asked.

"I am sorry…I remember everything." She said, weeping. "I have failed… Ezi-san…"

"You did fine, Aigis." Ezi knelt down held her hand gently. "You're gonna be okay."

"I remember, Ezi…"

And somehow, the pieces were coming together.

"What?"

"I remember…who I am… who _HE_ is… why I so desperately wanted to be by your side…."

 _"_ _There's no need for you to apologize, Aigis."_ Ryoji's voice was eerily calm as he emerged from the dark.

 _"_ _You?"_ Junpei was shocked.

"What are you doing here, Ryoji? What's going on?" Akihiko demanded.

Ezi gasped. Aigis's blue eyes were cold, and the heat from her body ceased as she stopped moving.

"Aigis..?"

"No… it's all my fault!" Ryoji said, sadly.

"You did this?" Akihiko realized.

"Wait, Akihiko… he's not showing signs of aggression." Mitsuru analyzed. "Tell us, who you are and what you are."

"I am the same as the being you call Shadows."

"You're a Shadow?" Junpei's jaw dropped.

"I am the embodiment of all Shadows… the Appriser, born from the union of the 12 Arcana."

This was all going through Ezi's mind like clock work. Things were finally connecting. "The dark prince…"

"I remember everything now, the frightful truth about myself, and the Shadows. It's all so hard to believe…"

"You know the truth about Shadows?" Mitsuru seemed shocked; everyone did as they stood motionless for answers.

She didn't know why, but she was scared. Ezi couldn't look up, her large eyes fixed on the asphalt below her knees as she and the others listened to Ryoji.

"The Shadows are here to facilitate the rebirth of the maternal being. The maternal being will begin to awaken as she is drawn to me: The Appriser."

"What's this… maternal being? Who is it?" Fuuka asked.

"She is a great entity, there is no comparable word for her in your languages. 14 years ago, a man contained a great number of Shadows and contained them in a lab… that's where I was born. But the unification was interrupted by an explosion, and I awoke in an incomplete state. Not long after, I fell to Aigis, on this very bridge, as she did to me."

"Aigis? Is that true, Ryoji?" Junpei said.

"She knew she could not defeat me… So in an act of desperation, she sealed me in a child who happened to be standing by…"

 _No…_

"…That child grew up, carrying me inside her, and by a twist of fate, she later returned here… as a transfer student."

No air.

She couldn't breathe, everything had black spots in her vision.

Yukari spoke. "You mean..?" Everyone looked at Ezi in shock.

 _This is a nightmare… its not real…_

"Yes…."Ezi"….I lived inside of her."

"Inside her?" Yukari repeated.

"Her special Persona awakened, as did the 12 Shadows upon her return, so they could become one with me."

 _It's all my fault._

"Ryoji's the Appriser? And he was inside her body?" Junpei was trying to grasp this.

"None of this makes sense!" Ken cried.

"It's all my fault… I'm sorry…" He said, his eyes were half lidded. "There's more I need to tell you, but…" He groaned, and collapsed.

"Ryoji-kun!" Fuuka cried.

"Ryoji!" Junpei and Akihiko hurried over to him.

"He's clearly exhausted. Come on, we'll continue this at the dorm when he wakes up." Mitsuru decided.

Junpei and Akihiko were handling Ryoji. Mitsuru was able to lift Aigis like a feather, as she weighed nothing in her dysfunctional state. The others picked up her scattered pieces.

"Ezi…" Yukari gently touched her shoulder, and she finally moved. "We gotta get going. It's gonna be okay."

Was it? She nodded, and said nothing to anyone as they returned to the dorm.

Inside her? Pharos… the familiar feeling she had with Ryoji, was it because they were the same? He had appeared when Pharos had left. All the warning Pharos gave, were her own instincts kicking, that's why he never gave her a straight answer, because he only knew what she knew at the time. People die…What did all of this mean? Were these what her memories consisted of?

"Ezi… do you know what Ryoji-kun was talking about?" Fuuka asked.

"I…I have no idea what's going on." She found her hushed voice, at last.

.

They let Ryoji rest in the command room, and Mitsuru immediately called the Kirijo Groups labs to get someone to work on Aigis.

Inside her… he had always been watching… and their connection wasn't love, but something far worse.

.

The next day everyone tried to act normal at school. Mitsuru announced he was awake and everyone immediately met with him in the command room.

He sat up with his head cocked down on the couch, and everyone circled him.

"I'm alright… There's more I need to tell you." He began.

"We have many questions," Mitsuru began, "you said the Shadows were here to facilitate the maternal being. Please elaborate on this."

"The maternal being is called **Nyx.** She is the mother of all shadows. In ancient times, she bestowed DEATH to the world. If she is awakened, darkness will once again cover the land, and all life will vanish."

"All life will vanish?" Akihiko said in disbelief.

"Are you saying, everyone will die?" Mitsuru asked. "How can that be?"

All life? She couldn't breathe; couldn't move in the chair she was in. She was looking at the spots.

"It will be more accurate to say that everyone will forfeit the will to live."

"Are you talking about the lost?" Mitsuru realized.

"You mean… those people with the Apathy Syndrome?" Fuuka, as well as the others, had their eyes wide and worried.

"The end of the world." Ryoji said.

"It's still possible to keep it from happening, right?" Yukari asked.

Ryoji said nothing, which did nothing for their nerves.

"What…there's no way to prevent it?" She pressed.

"I'm sorry…" His voice broke, his head down in shame.

"What are you apologizing for? Wait, you're saying its for certain?"

"Yes… You heard the bell! I'm the Appriser of Death; my existence is the affirmation of the Fall."

"The affirmation of the Fall…This is what Ikutsuki was talking about." Fuuka said.

Ezi cringed. The existence of Ryoji, the one she had brought to life, confirmed the impending extinction of mankind. Pharos had tried to warn her… That couldn't be.

"When? When will it happen?" Akihiko demanded.

"I'm afraid…. You will not live to see spring."

"But, that's not too far away…" Junpei said.

Everyone kept their heads down, at a loss for words.

Junpei chuckled. "Come onnn, what are you guys freaking out about? All we have to do is defeat this Nyx! And that won't be a problem because we never lose!"

"That's impossible, isn't it…." Ezi whispered.

"Hey, come on, that's not the leader I know!" Junpei chided, but she ignored him. The spots were everywhere; her body didn't move but her eyes followed them.

"Yes, it's impossible." Ryoji continued. "It's not about ability or power. Just as things die, as time is continuous, Nyx is undefeatable."

"That's bullshit!" Junpei yelled.

"This is all so sudden!" Ken cried out.

"I was born from the collection of Shadows. But, now, I have a human form, so I can talk with all of you, laugh with you, cry with you. All gifts I received because of her." He looked to Ezi. "Of all the people on earth, It was she who carried me. Her kind heart allowed me to see people differently. And now, thanks to that, I am able to give you all a choice."

"A choice?" Mitsuru repeated.

"Nyx is coming. It cannot be avoided. It's possible to live in peace until she arrives. You'll have to… kill me-" Ezi looked up at him, "-And if I were to disappear, all memories of the dark hour would disappear with me, as would any other recollection of the fate that awaits you. The coming of all the fall will be instantaneous, and you will not suffer. You will be able to return to your normal lives and in doing so, the fall will be slightly delayed. In essence, I am the same as Nyx and cannot be killed. But thanks to her, there is a part of me now that is human, not just my feelings. With this part of me as human, it may be possible to kill me at her hands."

He looked at her. "Ezi, if you don't kill me, you'll suffer in fear until the day of your death, and I don't want you to have to endure such pain."

"Ryoji…" His face was blotched out, the lightning behind him covered his face as he looked down at her.

"You fool… I could never kill you."

"You are so kind. Because of your kind heart, I was able to gain a human form and relay this to you. But, either way, I am sorry to put you through this."

"I…I don't want to forget my memories…" Yukari said. "To forget everything would be like hiding from the truth-!"

A choice.

There's a door in her sights. Going through the door will make a large decision, one that would bring her to the place she is now.

It was her fault. The first time she had lost her memories, it had been her own fault.

She wanted to be back in America, back to the point where she had made the decision to go to Japan. It wasn't worth it… finding this out, wasn't worth it.

"Why is this happening?" Ken yelled, and the cry from the child kept everyone lost in thought.

"You don't have to decide right now." Ryoji stood and headed towards the door. "You have until December 31st to make up your mind. After that, I will dissolve into the dark hour and become intangible. After that, I will disappear." He looked at Ezi, the most somber, dull look was on his face. "So, don't worry about killing me. I'll be back New Years Eve."

He was about to go out the door. "Pharos!" Ezi stood up, and hearing his name, he turned to her again. "…Thank you."

He nodded and left. Junpei ran after him, but he disappeared just like Pharos… The room was getting bright, her body felt light—she had caused the end of the world. This all seemed so familiar now, the bridge, the choice to forget—

"Ezi!" Yukari screamed.

Ezi could hear her friends wailing out to her when she hit the floor, unconscious.

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1000 birds screeched.

100 worlds in darkness.

An 8th choice.

A forgotten promise.

The end of everything.

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TO BE CONTINUED!

much shorter (yaaay). This climax was so epic to me when I first saw it. I hope I was able to capture the tragedy of it all. Ryoji would have been more remarkable I think if you could have spent more time with him on the game than just a month. I was thinking of inserting more parts to make their relationship seem more realistic, but eh, he leaves anyway. Another note that may be off topic and unnecessary: I wanted the female protagonist to be with all the boys she can except for Junpei and Ken. Junpei, obviously because in the game he rejects you (and I only see him as a friend in the series), and Ken, because he's...12? I don't know why people would pursue that romance in the game, but it makes me uncomfortable.

Don't worry too much about that ending part after she is unconscious, that was more for myself in terms of previous crossovers for my OC ;)

Anyway, I was also thinking I should go at the pace of this month, since now we are at the exact same time as the timeline in p3p (not year of course, but the month and day).

Well, Farewell, My Dearests!


	32. Date 24: Caterpillar in the Sun

Note: Sorry I should have posted this before Christmas! So I'll be posting two or more chapters: One of the Christmas and one of the New Year after this one! Happy Holidays everyone and and enjoy:

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~Persona 3 Portable~

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Date 24: Advice from the Caterpillar in the Sun

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Ryoji's revelation had all been too devastating. She knew it was real too, because of your connection. The world would soon perish. Mankind would perish. The only option she had been given was the right to choose how to die. Death is inevitable. The Appriser truly brought about a death sentence. You had brought about a death sentence, because she had been searching for the truth. It was all too late now. How does a person choose how she or he will die?

…It seemed she had been passed out all day. She didn't want to dream anymore, so Ezi got up when the sun was going down. The overwhelming sadness… she didn't want to feel anything.

"Ezi-?"

Mitsuru and some of the others tried to call out to her, but she ran out the front door. There were so many of the Lost wandering around the streets and monorail. She was at Club Escapade in moments.

The bartender recognized her and gave her a martini. She sat at the bar and chugged 3 of them.

"Hey cutie,"

"Fuck off, loser." She was ready to fight.

"Geez, bitch."

Maybe people deserved to die. There were so many scumbags who had tried to attack and rape her friends from the outskirts, it was atrocious. They had a chance to live a life, and they lived it horribly.

And, what was the point of her being a goody-two-shoes? All those good grades and extra-curricular activities; for what?

"Hey, it's you." The man with the pink shirt and curly black hair was there again. He looked at her, almost worried. "Wait, did you drink those?"

She hiccuped, "What's it to you, baldy?"

"You're having a rough time, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"I know it. I cheated on my girl. I know I shouldn't have, but-"

"Oh _boo-hoo_."

"Huh?"

"You know what? Life is short," She placed her hand on his shoulder, "You should get to do whatever you want, okay? Just tell the people you love that you love them and live your short, miserable life! You should get to enjoy the pleasures in life, my amiga."

"Um, okay… thanks. You really are wasted, huh?"

"No…" She tried to hold in a hiccup.

"Then let me ask: Do you think its an unforgivable sin to cheat on someone? Or is it just human nature?"

"It's definitely a sin. But, it won't matter soon anyway. Any choices you make now will be irrelevant in a month or two, so do whatever you need to to clear your conscious." She looked down at the glass with tired eyes. "Do you think its an unforgivable sin to exist?"

"What? No way. When I was young, I thought my life was just beginning, but every day since then has been nothing more then me acting on my ridiculous desires. I feel like I'm going insane."

"Maybe we both are." She raised her glass. "Cheers to that, or whatever."

When he had left after his drink, she went onto the dance floor. The songs were so loud. She danced with strangers. She was sweating. Her friends were going to die. She was laughing at how stupid this was. She was laughing because she lost her footing 6 1/2 times. She should never have gone to the island. Some guy groped her. Some girl pushed her. The music was loud. The colors in the room were bright and haunting. She wanted to die. The music was loud.

The bar closed. She tried to go the Velvet Room, but she went to the bathroom instead and puked on the tile and toilet. She decided she would go there tomorrow, when the sun was shining. _Tomorrow scares me_. She walked home, No one bothered her. She returned to the dorm. No one was awake. She made it to her bed. Somehow, she made it there. She was out in seconds.

Yukari knocked on her door the next day. "Hey… I was just wondering if you wanted to walk to school with me…" She said on the other side.

She probably would have belted out laughing if she hadn't been so stunned still.

"…Go away."

She waited for Yukari to leave before she decided what to do. She would be leaving the dorm for as long as she could. She couldn't face them after all, the friends she had brought death upon.

It was another day, but school seemed too unimportant now.

She walked aimlessly for hours. She drew in her itinerary what had happened, so she was doing something constructive to keep her mind off things.

Club Escapade again. Evening.

"Would you like me to read your Fortune?"

A woman in the corner of the club was holding her palm. "Sure."

She hummed, and Ezi could barely hear her because of how loud the music was.

"A girl falls under the full moon…A boy walks amidst the shadow; and the boy himself is a shadow…"

"That would have been nice to know before…"

Drink. Sleep. Dance. Kick the guy in the crouch for grinding. Trip the bitch that poured drinks on you. Don't go to school. Play video games. Repeat.

Velvet Room.

"A drink with your Sister's name? You mean Margaret?"

"No, actually…"

"You want a Margarita?"

"No, that is just one… my other sister's name is Elizabeth."

"…You…? I can't deal with any more revelations, Theo."

He chuckled. "She is not you. You are someone I am concerned with, but we are not related. She is in another room, serving another Persona user somewhere far away from here."

"Is that so? Do these other Persona users fuck up to?"

"I'm not sure I understand." He said sadly.

"…Why did you guys choose me? Did you give the contract to the other Persona-users I live with?"

"You're referring to your contract again?" Igor spoke, finally. "No, they were not."

"Then why did you choose me? Did you always know my use of the Persona would lead me to this choice?"

"Every choice you have made up to this point has been your own-"

"Shut up! You're manipulative! Did you know about Nyx? The end of the world? Did you? What are you to not care about millions of deaths?"

Theo looked as if he were about to cry, standing there with his arms behind his back. Igor's amused expression did not change, as it never did.

"I told you I am merely here to assist you on your quest. Whatever happens outside this door is not something I am aware of, or can control."

"…So, that's a no." She casted her eyes down. "Elizabeth…I will find this drink for you. I don't even deserve a nickname. What's the use of any of that stuff anymore?"

And, when they spoke to her, her dorm mates, it seemed robotic. They must hate her, for bringing upon the end of the world.

"I just thought if you wanted to go to school…" Yukari would say.

"Well, I don't think anyone wants to go to Tartarus for a while." Fuuka said.

"I can't figure out what to do, dude…" Junpei mumbled.

School. It would keep her busy, maybe, so she finally went.

The students were gossiping about the change in the atmosphere, as usual. Ryoji had been "transferred", and there was some weird online religion talking about Revelations and the end of the world.

She watered plants on the rooftop that Theo had noticed on his trip there before. They should get to live a little before they died too. She avoided Fuuka and Mitsuru in the halls, and she sat in the back, away form Yukari and Junpei, in class. They didn't bother talking to her or each other either.

"Morning." Yukari was walking beside her.

"H-hi." Did words even matter anymore if they were going to die soon?

"Things have been pretty crazy, lately, huh…"

She was trying, but it was aggravating. "No shit."

"No one's in the mood to talk, either."

"It can't be helped."

"I know eventually we'll all cheer up, but its not happening right now."

"Will we?"

Yukari said nothing else to her as they attended class. She wondered if being pessimistic towards her friends the way she had been was even worth the trouble.

Ms. Ounishi was complaining about it being December already. The last December of the world… Exams were next week. If Shinjiro's death and the revelation about the 12 Shadow's hadn't been enough, this time she was surely not giving a damn about tests. It was as if the universe was telling her to let loose finally, and do whatever she desired.

"…Ezi-san?"

"Huh?" She looked up, bags under her eyes.

"Which allotrope is formed by three oxygen atoms?"

The answer was Ozone. "How should I know?"

Everyone _gasped._

"…Detention. You have detention." Ounishi seemed surprised she had to say it herself.

She didn't go.

"Ezi." She was trying to leave the building, and Akihiko stopped her.

"Uh, wanna walk back together?"

"I'm not going back right now."

"Oh! T-then I'll go with you wherever you're going."

She wasn't phased at all; maybe a little intrigued as to why he wanted to be anywhere near her, but she hadn't talked to any of them about it since Ryoji left.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Ezi, stop this!"

"Stop _what?"_

Akihiko opened his mouth, and he seemed weary, but he said nothing.

She walked quickly away, and sat on the monorail, doing nothing but drawing. She wanted to go back in the mindless club. She saw Mutatsu the monk when it opened, and he had a concerned look on his face as he stared at her from the tables upstairs on the stairway, but she didn't want to talk to him. She went to the bar and dance floor downstairs. She had fought a Shadow with the others here, for what?

She went to the bar and drank 3 Queen Elizabeth drinks at the bar before providing Theo with one upon returning to the Velvet Room.

" _Pssst_."

Theo could see her head poked out from the slightly opened blue door.

"Uh-? Hello, guest." His eyes jumped back from her to Igor, wondering what his master in the chair was thinking.

"Pssst, Theo! Come here! I did a something! I got you _somethiiiing."_

His eyes sparkled at the colorful blue drink with a cherry on top.

"You brought it!" He seemed overly excited.

"It's rather good."

"You drank it?" He sniffed the whipped cream on top. "Doesn't this contain high levels of alcoholic volume?"

"Yes!"

"I see… I was under the impression there were civil laws established keeping humans at a certain age from acquiring such beverages."

She chuckled. "Cute…"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Oh. Well, clearly you are not affected by these laws."

"Yep, I'm special. Lookie me, come to save the day again!"

"I'm afraid I don't understand?" His brows were furrowed. "Are you alright? Your cheeks seem to be at a high temperature." He touched her cheek gently, and she felt a warm chill.

She knew what she was doing. She placed her hands on his face and had to stand on her toes to reach his lips with her own. He whimpered in surprise into her mouth. She had always found him rather sharp, and handsome, but the idea of pursuing him seemed pointless. He was an older man, after all.

He was probably 1000 years older.

He let the kiss linger and brought his head lower in, falling against the wall behind him, and wrapping his hands gently to her face. Then, he pulled away.

"Oh, no… I'm sorry. You are our guest, I cannot."

"You can." She insisted.

"I… cannot say I didn't want this, but…" He frowned. "You are in a state of inebriation. I am uncertain this is not the best time."

She groaned. "Theo… come on! If you want to, what do you have to lose?"

"I-I am uncertain once again… but I suppose it is the fear of the unknown I am worried about."

"At least its unknown, and its not staring right at you…" The choice. "I'm sorry. We don't have to if you don't want to."

"I would like to, but… there's more I need to discover…" He muttered something. "Can I come visit your world again?"

"Yip! Just put it on the request list… Unless you want to right now."

"It seems rather late here…" He looked around the dimly lit hallway.

"Another time, then!" She assured him. Why was she trying to hide the truth with glee? She went to the bar and got more drinks. She was spending so much money on this, but every decision she made seemed to come back to the same thought…

Dark Hour.

 _It doesn't matter._

Walking back from the club to the dorm, Strega appeared.

"Whaddya want?" She demanded.

"Strange to see you all alone without your comrades."

"I may be _drunking_ , but I can still kick your ass!"

"We didn't come here to fight, fool." Jin said.

"Quite the opposite, actually." Takaya explained. "We wanted to thank you…"

"No…"

"…Without your help, the fall would have taken longer. Now, we can all accept the coming end, thanks to you."

"Yeah, thank you."

"Stop it!"

"Thank you."

"The end couldn't have happened without you."

Forget her weapon. She pulled out her evoker and shot the two figures. "STOP IT!" she shot and shot until she was out of rounds. She fell to her knees. She had been shooting two coffins, and the bullets had deflected off.

"Ezi?"

She turned around and pointed her gun at Ryoji and Shinjiro.

"What the hell are you doing, idiot?" Shinjiro snapped.

"It's your fault, Ezi; it's my fault, too. We can suffer together."

"Stop it, I said. All of you! Get away from me! Leave me alone!"

School again.

The days were blurry and bruised. The school smelled like rotten fruit.

Dorm.

"Hello, Ezi-chan! How was your day?" Fuuka was trying to sound as she always had. "Um… Try to cheer up."

She didn't say anything and walked up the stairs mindlessly. She saw Akihiko sitting on the second floor couches, but she kept moving up. He seemed too bothered by his impending death to even see her.

"…Oh, it's you."

Yeah, me. She stopped and turned to him.

"I was thinking about what Shinji would say to me if I died before him."

"What would he have said?"

"I don't know… but, even though I've experienced losing someone before, it doesn't seem to get easier. It always hurts."

"What about when you die? Will you be afraid?"

He seemed to take the question lightly. "I used to be, but putting my life on the line every night… you learn to accept it. Still, I can't focus on a training regime if there's no future to think about, you know?"

He chuckled, and she wondered if he was being cruel.

"I guess you could always just eat ice cream and pancakes all the time."

He laughed again. "Y-yeah! Its not like it matters anymore… I feel on edge all the time."

Ah. He was trying to make her feel better, even though she couldn't fathom why. "You… Akihiko…"

"Yes?" He was hoping for something, a possible platonic sensation that would never show.

"Goodnight."

It was the lack of control in this sort of situation. That was what made it so tormenting and vile for the mind and body.

He was there again, trying to console her, or maybe console himself. She watched him approach her at the gates. The students that walked by stared. They always did. What did they have to be jealous about?

"Hey, Ezi… Don't you think it's funny? We have so much to worry about, but we've been going to school as if nothing's changed…"

"Maybe the routine is keeping us sane."

"We… we'll have to make up our minds sooner or later. Otherwise, it'll be too late."

In class, her consciousness drifted away as she closed her eyes, and everything tuned out.

"Ezi, are you sleeping?" Mr. Ekoda shouted.

"No, I don't feel good."

"You girls always have that excuse."

She stood form her seat and threw her hands down. "Maybe you shouldn't accuse me of being a woman with completely natural woman issues, Mister Ekoda! Unless, you'd like details as to why I am unable to participate the rest of your class?"

"Are you talking back to me-?"

"No way, sir—" Junpei was talking, "She's just really sick-!"

"You stay outta this!" She snapped. "I'm just trying to tell this angry man that he should exhaust his discipline on someone who actually needs it. Not that I care, but he always is way more strict on the girls!"

The students began to whisper and talk.

"Silence! Detention, and you'll stand in the hall!"

"Better than being in here."

The old fat principal who had no idea what was happening gave her a strict warning and cleaning duties for the week. Anything to keep her mind preoccupied. She left the school right after the lecture, ditching class for the rest of the day.

If she hadn't even defeated the 12 Shadows; if she hadn't unwillingly drawn them to their impending demise—

"How about now?"

"Oh! Are you certain?"

"I'm certain. Let's go."

She led Theo to the dorm.

It started to snow.

His latest request… Any other time she would have been worried someone might see him, but considering her lack of concern for anything these days…

"So this is your home!" He analyzed the building.

She felt like exploding; ending the world right then. She hadn't cried. She wouldn't cry. Never.

"Um… I know its late to ask, but, would it be permissible for me to enter?"

She did bother to peek around the lounge before they entered, making sure no one was present. She grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to her room. A tear hit the step, and she kept her face turned away from him.

They didn't treat her like they hated her, but she hated herself. She had to for this. Was it possible to die and come back to life again?

Her eyes were puffy.

"Ah, I see." He smirked, with confidence.

"What's with that smile?"

"Hm? Oh, pardon me. Was I smiling?"

"I… wouldn't have said so if you hadn't been…"

"Your presence is strong here. Perhaps one would call it, your scent?"

"Do I smell?" She was irritated.

"No? It's a kind scent, very much like you."

 _You are so kind…_

"I'm not kind…"

"It has been an honor to have you as a guest…"

"…I do wish, however, that there was something else I could do, before I left you. By the way…"

She closed her eyes. It was drowning, his soft words a simple mutter under the ringing in her ears.

"…uncomfortable?"

"Hm?" She blinked fast. Did it bother her that they were in her room, alone? She hadn't been paying attention, until he brought it up.

"It's not strange to me. We are close enough, now, Theo."

No.

"Oh, well then…" He stammered. "This world is exquisite with all kind of brilliance. The station, the mall the shrine the school… All had their unique charms… Every moment of the short time I spent with you is an unforgettable memory. Thank you so much."

"It wasn't hard… I actually had fun."

"This will be the last of my requests to visit this world. Which means, this will be the last time I have a chance to spend time alone with you." He sighed. "You have carried out my request to the fullest. Thank you for everything."

She cupped his cheeks in her hands. It was the end of the world.

"I don't want this to end…" She felt the tears, but maybe they were dry on her face, because Theo said nothing about any of the anguish consuming the kindness.

He chuckled, manically, lowering her arms from his face. "You little _minx_. Do you realize what you've just said?"

She fell backwards, onto her bed. Theo was hovering over her, one of his legs between hers, and his arms on either side of her.

She was motionless, pale, staid. Her sharp eyes looked up at his, and he could see she was not fazed by his motives.

"This feeling," his hot breath was on her, "its so sinful."

"You seemed rather worried before..." She hadn't noticed, but Theo had taken the glove off of his right hand, and he caressed her lips with his fingers.

"You… You are a guest, and yet my feelings for you are…" He closed his mouth. He looked so embarrassed, yet he was the one on top of her.

"I wish you would understand a little of what I'm feeling. I cannot hope to calm it anymore myself." He admitted. "If only you could sense a little of this raging storm in my heart…"

"Theo…" Feelings wouldn't matter in a few months. She could say what she wanted and it wouldn't be true. "I feel the same way."

The grey man's eyes were on her face, and she gently looked away, feeling the warmth clouding her mind.

"I am sorry I have distressed you. But, I'm also afraid I'll have to apologize again. Forgive me for this."

He wrapped his arms around her back. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to be so primal near the Velvet Room, where Igor could see them.

"Don't go yet." She whispered in his ears.

"You wish to compound my sins!" He moved his palm over his head. "You realize this form of interaction will be punishable, should it ever be revealed to others."

"That just makes it more exciting." She shrugged. She felt it. The intense heat between them, the desire to be closer. It'd been so cold out in all the white snow.

"Alright then, if you're okay with it…" He sighed into her face, a hot proximity. "You have taught me so much and been my master in this world." He leaned in, and she was pinned under him. "But there are things I can teach you as well."

She closed her eyes, and slid her fingers behind his neck. Pulling him into her face, and they met, closely, smothering each other's mouths. The gloveless hand had slipped under skirt and it caused her to heave and huff louder between the sensual crushing of their lips.

She didn't love him.

Her attraction to him was completely physical. He was exceptionally muscular, tall, and good-looking. She couldn't even look at him as a human. They were friends, too, sure… but she didn't want to be alone. She didn't want this to end.

She moaned his name as his fingers rubbed between her legs, softening and smoldering any form of common sense away, lubricating the carnal desire, more and more…

He started unzipping his blue pants. Good. She didn't want to think about the consequences of being with a thing like him, what may happen afterwards. She didn't want to think about the consequences of fighting Nyx, and what may happen after that. She had no condoms, and she was all for it, even though she mentally was not. She didn't care, it was the end of the world, he wanted her, so why not give this nice Theo what he wanted?

"Ezi…Ezi…"

His was much bigger, she thought. She couldn't help but groan loudly, or whimper like a helpless dog, every time he slowly pounded into her. He went faster, sloshing, thrusting. She cried out. She cried tears. She wiped them quickly before he would look at her face, smiling, sweating.

"Oh god—Oh…" He would close his eyes sometimes, focusing on the pattern that would push her up against the bed stand, and then he wrapped his arms around her legs, lifting her higher.

"Theo—" She yelped, then she covered her mouth. She didn't want to be too loud, she had dorm mates after all. "Theo-"

"Yes—Oh, yes—" He grunted as he pounded her more and more, faster, his shirt unbuttoned, his pelvis shifting faster and faster as he grew more exhausted by the second. "Oh—"

When she wouldn't move, he would wiggle her back and forth. When she would push him back, he had already pinned her arms down,

"No—"

Too late, he was cumming into her, triggering her sensations even more than she had wanted, He declared his finishing blow by a final thrust, moaning slowly with her into quietness.

She lay still, never moving, even when he rolled off of her. The only thing that shook on her was her chest, rising and falling. He squeezed her thigh one final time before finally taking a moment to rest, calming his breathing.

The ceiling paint had patterns. Ezi's eyes continued to follow the pointless lines that had only happened to appear, because whoever painted the walls had done so with no passion whatsoever.

She was still tingling. Her skirt was flapped over the top of her uniform, her knees were still up, sweat intermingled through her legs and clothes.

He was refreshed, happy. Ezi led him down the stairs, and the only person at the dorm was Junpei. She saw him look at them, curiously, but she didn't move to act concerned. She led Theo to the porch.

"Um," he was blushing, as if he were a nervous school-boy, "t-thank you for today, but this will be the last of my requests to visit this world. All of its treasures and moments that I have spent with you have been some of the best in my lifetime, so thank you."

She couldn't tell if he was actually being thankful for their experiences together, or if he was just thanking her for finally having sex with him. It was discomforting to her that she did not know. Oh well… he was dumping her now anyway.

"Well, then, farewell," He bowed.

She didn't want to seem ungrateful. Whether he had only wanted her for one purpose or not, she had been grateful to have known him at all. She embraced him.

"Goodbye, Theo. Thank you."

He kissed her hand one last time, then left the human world for good.

The Naganaki Shrine.

"False alarm… I thought I felt pain."

She nodded, sitting beside the sick boy at the shrine.

"I… stopped taking my medicine. It's not going to fix me anyway, right? …It only cured the symptoms, like the pain and spasms. I need to finish my story and the medicine makes me drowsy and my fingers numb." He sounded determined. What for, though?

"That's reckless…"

"The reason why my story is unfinished, is because I haven't found the meaning of life yet."

She stared at him with big eyes.

"I get lost in my writing, then I start over again. When we talk, I have a clearer picture; I can almost see it. Maybe I'm writing this book to find he meaning of life. I suppose that's just wishful thinking of a dying man, though."

"You…" She wanted to scream. "I wonder if there even is one. If you die, what's it matter that you know the meaning of life, something you won't be anymore?"

He grimaced. "You seem so sad today…"

"I feel like I'm nothing." She looked at the orange sky. "I've been trying to bring hope to say many people, and yet all I've done is the complete opposite."

"How can you say that? I may not have all the ideas in my story abut life if it weren't for you. You didn't have to keep coming to see me, but you did."

"Yeah… why is that… Why do I, cling to those I meet? Why did I feel I wanted to make friends here? Even searching for my memories, I put them over that, wanting to change the world somehow, and I did…"

"You can't cry…"

She already was. Please don't. Don't cry…

"What have I done? I'm sorry…"

"You didn't…" He had no idea. Maybe he would die before the Apathy reached them all. He could die peacefully before the end of the world, and not have to face the existence of not wanting to live as he did right now.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry—"

She leaned down and cupped her face in her hands. She made an atrocious scream, and Akinari only patted and rubbed her back as she cried endlessly. She wanted this, to feel pain and joy, under different circumstances. To be dead though; to not want to exist… she was already experiencing this.

She went back to the dorm, without explaining her worries to Akinari.

Mitsuru had mentioned earlier that day that they were going to meet, so everyone was gathered in the lounge when she walked in.

Yukari spoke first.

"It's been a week. We need to make a decision… What's with the face, Fuuka?"

"You're so calm about this."

"We've had time to think." Mitsuru analyzed. "Humans can be very resilient to any situation, given the appropriate amount of time to process. So, how about it, everyone? Why don't we talk about it?"

Junpei groaned first.

Ken sat beside Akihiko. "Have you made your decision, Senada-san?"

"No, I haven't. But I don't plan on running away."

"So, you're going to fight Nyx?" Mitsuru raised her voice, allowing the private conversation to engage everyone.

"I don't know… I mean, it's supposedly un-defeatable. What about you?"

"Honestly?" She paused. "I've never had to contemplate my own death this way. I don't want to suffer, and I don't want to kill Ryoji. Either way, we still die, so there is no simple answer."

"Then, do we all agree we don't want to hurt Ryoji-kun?" Asked Fuuka.

"Is that what you're choosing?" Akihiko interrogated.

"Well, I…"

"It's okay, Fuuka. It's not like there's a right answer to choosing how you're going to die." Yukari looked away. "What about you. Junpei?"

"No." He grumbled, sounding annoyed.  
"What's the matter, you scared?" She teased.

"What the hell does that mean? You think this is some kind of joke? We're going to die! Of course I'm scared!"

"Junpei…" Yukari muttered. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Junpei, the enraged.

"You all need to wake up! This is death we're talking about here!"

Everyone remained silent, having nothing to say.

"…Then what do you want to do?" Mitsuru finally spoke. "Do you want to kill him?"

"There's nothing I CAN do!" He sounded so desperate, so weak. "The only one who can kill him is…"

Ah, there it was. What he wanted to say all this time to her.

"Ezi…Did you never notice? You had that thing inside you, and you didn't notice?"

She met his eyes.

"…You're the one who raised it! You're the one that brought about the Fall!"

"Junpei!" Yukari yelled.

"Can't you… can't you do anything about it?"

No one said a word. With dark eyes, she stared at him, no sensation or hope.

"…Sorry I didn't notice."

"Stop it, Junpei! It's not her fault! Her carrying it is the only reason we even have this choice!"

"I know that, dammit! But..!" He lowered his eyes, biting his lip, "I know that, in my mind… But even though I know, thinking about it might not solve anything… I'm still scared, dammit!"

Fuuka grimaced. "I know how you feel, Junpei-kun. I'm scared too."

"Yeah, we're all scared." Akihiko said.

"I can't stop shaking." Mitsuru admitted.

"Me either." Said Yukari. "I'm sorry I was joking, Junpei. I just wanted to make light of the situation. Personally, I don't want to forget everything. I've learned so much since coming here."

"Yuka-tan…" Junpei said quietly. "I'm sorry I kept yelling like that."

"I don't think any of us could have stood up to you, Junpei." Yukari said. "So don't worry about it, right, Ezi?"

"…sorry."

"Ezi, you don't have to apologize. I know this isn't your fault. I didn't mean to lash out earlier."

She thought about the temptations of the week. "You had every right to… but you're wrong. It is my fault. I ignored the warnings so I could find out the truth about myself, and put the entire world in danger. I don't… I don't deserve your pity, and I don't want it."

"How can you say that?" Akihiko demanded.

"Is Junpei the only one who's gonna express his true feelings?" Her voice boomed. "Tell me the goddamn, truth!"

"T-truth?" Fuuka sounded shaky.

"If I had to think about it all this past week, I know you did to! How can you all speak to me, or even want to look at me? What's the point of being nice when I can see it every time I look at your faces? You hate me for bringing upon the Fall, and for even coming here! I led you all to defeat the 12 Shadows that brought about the Appriser within me; how could you not despise me, regardless of what your choice will be? Admit it! I feel like I've been going insane this whole time, wondering, assuming—"

A slap.

There gasps and a moment of silent to fill the void.

"Sorry." Yukari said quietly, her hand raised at Ezi's cheek. "This isn't something you should be asking. It's not fair."

"Yukari-chan?" Fuuka seemed confused.

"Of course I thought what Junpei had said aloud. I wanted you to do something about it, to lead us to salvation like you do. But you know what I thought after that? How could I be so pathetic, to rely on her, and then hate her for something she had no control over too? You didn't ask for it anymore then we did! You have the most energy and life out of all of us, so of course this isn't something you brought upon! Ryoji was inside of you, but you're still you, right?"

"She's right." Akhiko said. "Ezi, I could… never hate you. With every mistake and choice we've made so far, this one is the most extreme, but that doesn't mean our feelings for you have changed."

Everyone gave him a sort of curious look.

"…T-that is, my feelings haven't changed, about you."

"Mine neither." Said Ken. "You could have hated me after I tried to get my revenge on Shinjiro-san, but you forgave me too."

"I've never not trusted your intentions and decisions in our explorations, Ezi-san." Fuuka looked down quietly. "It did cross my mind, but only because I was scared and I needed something to blame in my fear… I don't think I could accuse anyone, now. Something this great must have always been approaching, no matter how upsetting it is."

"Yeah… I mean, how many mistakes have I made? Not that it might not matter in the end, but yeah." Junpei was flustered, scratching his head under the back of his cap. "This fucking sucks."

"It does." Mitsuru looked at her. "Leon-san, we all chose to go into Tartarus and fight the 12 Shadows; it was not just your own decision alone. We came this far together and now we have to make a decision, together."

Ezi nodded. "Thank you… everyone…" She felt good. "Sorry. I made my decision already, but I will respect whatever choice you all make. It's the least I can do…"

No. She wanted forgiveness. She would have to do that herself.

Mitsuru smiled. "I'm glad we clarified that much, but I don't think we're all prepared to make a decision just yet." Mitsuru said. "Ryoji will be back on New Year's Eve, so we still have some time to make a decision. Until then, let's live our lives as normal as possible."

"I agree. We have time." Akihiko said.

"Thank you Ezi-chan." Fuuka said.

"Hey man. If you need anything, we're here for you."

"Well… I'm gonna need some back-up in Tartarus again! It's been lonely going by myself."

"Arf!"

"You were going to Tartarus without us!?" Ken exclaimed.

"That's reckless." Akihiko said.

"Hey, I thought you all hated me so I went alone, okay? Like I said, it's been a rough time…" Being honest felt liberating, she thought. "Thank you all…"

Somehow, she had expected more of an unpleasant outcome that never came. This may have frustrated her more.

"Junpei? Let's see if you're paying attention."

"Eh-?" Homeroom class.

Ms. Toriumi smiled triumphantly. "Which is the correct plural form on the board?"

"Oh shoot!" He whispered to the one sitting behind him. "Ezi-san, some help?"

"Cacti." She thought of the hot sand and pointy trees that shook with the events of her former world.

"…You were actually paying attention!" She praised the boy.

"Thanks, Ezi."

She nodded. Things did seem to be regulating. Yet, the halls were bare and the rooms were filled with cramming students. She wanted to brisk through the purity and white walls of the hallway, like no one was even there, like she had with Ryoji in their zombie apocalypse. She found Akihiko in the blankness, and they seemed to chat about pointless things, like how everyone was preparing for the exams, or how they needed to exercise in Tartarus.

"If you try to go again, I'll go with you. To Tartarus."

"I won't go alone again… I just needed some time to think…"

She felt guilty for sleeping with Theo. Why she was thought of this being around Akihiko seemed more transparent than necessary.

She didn't want to walk with Akihiko, but she decided to grab a book for studying at the Bookworms shop.

"You seem different, Ezi-chan." Bunkichi noticed it first out of the old couple in the shop.

"So much more mature! You're glowing in an unusual way." Mitsuko gave her a discount price for the book, then she ate alone and studied alone. It would probably be better to not rely on anyone while she tried to forgive herself, where the others seemed to have done so already.

Club Escapade, Saturday night. She really only meant to talk to the monk, who she had avoided before.

"Why are you out there? Dancing with those fools on the floor? I took you for more than them."

"I won't… try not to do it again. I was wondering how you were doing?"

"I'm not so sure…" He hiccupped. "I was thinking about my wife and son again."

"You shouldn't give up on them. I know you feel regret, but life is short…"

"Shouldn't I, the old man, be telling you that kid?" He chuckled. "Whatever. I only think about my guilt, that's why I'm here."

"But… what if you died tomorrow? Wouldn't you want to be on the good end of the people you care most about?"

"Sure…" He smiled nostalgically. "I was so drunk the other day, I thought I could see 'em. Maybe I should have them live in the temple with me. Even if my son punches me, or my wife yells at me, at least I can face them before its too late…"

"…Do it quickly."

"Where do you get off tellin' me what to do?" He was tapping his foot. "Look, I was gonna hire a detective or something anyway to find 'em, alright? What do you think?"

She smiled, at his theatrics of trying to be tough. "Mutatsu-san, I am young, but I've known people your age and mine with guilt that just eat away until its too late. So I think that idea is awesome!"

"Well, I'll be concentrating on this, so I may not be in here much more anymore…"

"Oh?"

"Which means I won't be seeing you, you scandalous, sinful child! Good riddance!" He was going to miss her.

"Um, maybe we'll see each other again before you get started?"

"Maybe so…"

The club was loud, and she left Mutatsu before he began drinking.

Sunday was church; the Naganaki Shrine. She wondered if praying would help, and she allowed herself to kneel in the snow under the prayer box, then returned to the bench where her sweet, sick friend was. He had on extremely heavy jackets and pants over his striped pajamas, and he had on boots instead of sandals; it was strange.

"So," He beamed at her excitedly. "I'd like you to congratulate me. As of today, I am a free individual."

"Nice, me too!" She paused. "…Free from what, specifically?"

"From the hospital. They were going to do surgery but my body is too weak, so I refused the medication as well. Which means I'm done with the hospital. Now I'm just waiting for the end."

What a rather ironic conversation they were beginning, she thought with small surprise.

"But, I don't feel like I'm the only one being singled out anymore. Everyone is waiting to die if you think about it… some just have longer to wait than others."

"Or, not that much longer." She pondered.

"Still, once the time comes, it's the same for us all. I'm still lonely, but I'm not sad anymore."

"It's because you made the choice on your own." She looked down. "You got to choose…"

He smiled. "I want to remember what you look like, Ezi."

"Eh?" She pointed to her cheek.

"You are… beautiful. You're like, a pristine lake."

More guilt. His smile was tinged with a foreign sadness that cringed from far away. She wanted to comfort him like she wanted to for everything. He rested his head on her shoulder, and she froze.

"Thank you… I'm… I'm a bit tired today. The story is almost done, so I can show it to you soon.

…Being a shoulder to cry on could do.

"You have my number, right? Call me if you need anything…"

He seemed to snooze on her arm for a few minutes, then he got up and left in the cold white day.

After talking to Akinari, she felt warm the whole time she returned to the dorm on that cold winter day. Elated.

The exams were a tad infuriating. They seemed irrelevant; remembering dates of pointless wars, the elements table, and the Left-hand rule; the way to translate words to English about the weather, and use of irregular nouns and their plurals.

She had gone with Fuuka to the cooking club and hung out with Yukari after school days. If felt as if there was something missing in their mediocre affairs, but the assurance of support seemed to dwindle any doubt.

Mitsuru seemed to enter Yukari's room one day after all the exams were over. Suddenly they only had eleven days left before a decision needed to be voiced.

"You don't stop by very often, sempai." Yukari was wearing her casual tank top with a fuzzy top, jeans and a choker.

"I just wanted to talk." Mitsuru was wearing her tight black trench coat.

"Aww, are you feeling lonely?" Yukari was actually pleased to see the majestic senior.

"Hey, are you teasing me?"

"Well, maybe just a little." They both laughed.

"…I wonder what this Nyx is like. Do you think it's inside of Tartarus?" Yukari asked without looking at the woman.

"I have no idea. By the way, I've made my decision. I want to fight to the end. It's better than doing nothing."

"That's the only reason you're here, sempai? To talk about your decision?"

"I… I guess it is."

"You're so easy to read." She giggled. "I've made my decision as well."

"Kirijo is making great strides to improve. I planned to take over after I graduate and assume leadership where my father left off. I cannot turn back now, even if I wanted to."

"…What if you die?" Yukari decided to ask.

"If I die fighting Nyx, Kirijo will have to go on without me and fulfill my wishes."

"Supposedly Ryoji and Nyx can't be defeated. But, I wonder about that. I don't think our special member can be killed either."

"I agree. Death dwelled within her, amplifying her abilities, though she exceptional to begin with."

"She's been burdened with so much, and yet she's been so cheerful all this time."

"You're right."

"If things don't work out, I think I'll be okay as long as I'm with everyone. I guess it doesn't matter or not if we die. All that natters is we're proud that we lived."

"Your decision is influenced by your father?"

"A little, but it's also more about me and how I feel."

"I understand."

She watched her red curls bounce with her head, and Yukari wondered what to do next in this unnatural situation.

"Sempai, when you were in Kyoto, you asked me to be by your side…" Her face was smiling, but she felt some kind of torment. "Do you remember?"

"…Yes, I remember."

"It made me really happy."

"Because of that? Um…" For once Mitsuru seemed to be at a loss for words. "L-let's fight together."

"Yes."

"I, uh, should probably get going." She floated to her door. "I have a few school things to attend to."

"I admire your devotion… I could never be focused for school right now."

"Well, maybe its just so I can keep my mind off of things."

"I could help you with that!" Yukari exclaimed delightedly. "That is, we never did hangout much, but I bet I could find some things that even you may consider fun!"

"I see… you're teasing me again."

"I am, but we should go shopping together. I bet you could give me some tips on sophisticated dressing! If we're gonna face the end of the world, we might as well look good doing it!"

Mitsuru hummed a chuckle. "If you say so, Takeba."

It was another Sunday.

She saw Akinari waiting for her at the shrine, and she quickly sat beside him as he his solemn smile seemed to be growing impatient.

"…I've been waiting."

"Well, you didn't text me or anything."

"I knew you would come. I finished my story and wanted to show it to you."

"Please, tell me."

"Since the alligator ate his friend the bird, he cried and cried for a very long time. In fact, he was so sad, that he drowned in his own tears."

She waited patiently for the rest, like an intrigued child, waiting for the magic trick.

"His tears became a beautiful lake, around which grew flowers and a tree with delicious fruit. The other animals came to replenish themselves and relax… but, none of them knew the alligator created it or that he was even gone. The end."

There was some kind of red bird tweeting above their heads in the snow covered gate above the bench.

"That's the ending I decided on." He continued. "Even though the alligator did not find meaning in his life, the residents of the forest did. They just didn't realize it."

"He had purpose, he just never got to see it? Morbid. Why'd you decide on that ending; to clarify?"

"Because the meaning of my life is not something I should worry about. It's really what others think of my life or what I was able to do for them. So, for me, or you, or anyone… the meaning of our lives is something that we make but don't see."

She was smiling, and she had that puzzled look of realization stoned to her features.

"Ah… you're crying again. I didn't realize it was that terrible of a story…"

"I think you may be right about all of that." She tried not to wail and whimper. "I've been looking back this whole time, clinging to my lost memories in hopes I would find… something. Maybe I needed to find my purpose in life, and that's why I was so obsessed. But… I have so many people here, my friends, who I have depended on and they have depended on me."

"People can't survive without help from others… We all depend on one another. I guess, or at least I hope that made sense. You seem to get what I am saying."

"Yeah, I understand…" She rubbed her tears with her hand. "You don't know, how much it means to me you shared your story. Even if I can't find the purpose I was looking for, I may have people around me who beg to differ, even if I don't know what it is yet. Thanks to you and everyone I've met here… it wasn't just a coincidence…"

"I'm glad. You seem to have come back from the darkness into a new light. There will be more shadows for you, I'm sure, but you will continue to add on to your meaning of life, even if you don't realize it."

"It's not too late… maybe, I don't need to try and find those memories. It seems when I do try, things just go awol. I need to live as I am now and let things unfold." She patted her chest where her heart was, supposedly. "Thank you for this moment."

"…I wanted to give you something, since you shared my last moments…" He stood, and she followed his movement. He handed her the worn brown notebook, with all of his scribbles and ideas that built up to his story.

"My body feels lighter."

"Good."

"Thank you for everything. Coming to see me, talking; even discussing the meaning of life, I… I can be glad I was born." She sensed his kindness as he looked up, smiling at the light sky. "I have to go now…"

"Akinari?" A twinge of worry. "You're so brave… thank you."

"Ezi…Maybe someday, I hope… We meet again."

She griped the notebook tightly to her breast. He disappeared with weary steps into the afternoon sunlight, the last light they would ever see each other in again.

"I wonder what everyone got on their tests." Akihiko pondered aloud.

"But, do you really?" Ezi teased.

He sighed and smiled. "No, I'm just trying to start a conversation."

They were walking to school. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"…Strong." He answered. She spat out a laugh.

"That must have taken a lot of thought. In what way? Physically? Emotionally? Mentally?"

"Uh, all of the above? I don't know. I guess if Shinji were here, he's insult me for not having a clear answer."

"That would have been hypocritical of him, but I get what you mean."

"Ah, I know the subject may be dead and gone now, but… I am sorry about the hot springs thing. I shouldn't have tried to ignore it without really apologizing."

"Eh, you're a guy, I'm not surprised."

"What?" He frowned. "Don't lump me with them so easily!"

She smirked, amused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't know…" He mumbled something. "What you said at the hot springs… You've been through a lot."

"We all have."

"But, with you… I, I don't know, I just want to give you some assurance that everything will be okay. I don't like… seeing you down."

"The world's ending and its my fault. I don't know how you can help…" She said it monotonously, then stopped walking before they reached the school.

"Maybe you can do something…"

"Anything!"

She looked up at him. "Tell me why you care so much about how I feel? Its safe to say we've all been through some shit, so why don't go and support Junpei, who lost his lover, or Mitsuru, who just lost her father?"

"Or you, who just lost… Ryoji."

She blinked. "What do you think about that?"

"I-I know he liked you, which now is strange to me since he was a part of you. Did… did you have feelings for him to?" He gasped. "That is, if you don't mind me asking!"

"It's okay, we haven't talked like this in a while." She rubbed her cheek with her index finger as she looked around at the calm snow and trees around them. Some students were passing on the sidewalk across from them, laughing in their ignorance of the future.

"…I suppose, I did like him. But, it was different from Shinjiro. I liked him in the sense of familiarity, and being around him gave me hope I would discover my lost memories." She lowered her head. "But, I recently had a revelation thanks to a friend: it doesn't matter if I find those memories. I intended to have some purpose in my life by finally filing in the gaps, and I realized I've been going about it all wrong."

"How so?"

"It was painful, only having the terrible memories, and not being able to remember the good ones. But, my life here has been extraordinary; not just from fighting Shadows, but because of the life and friends I've built here. Whether it filled in all the holes or not, my time here had certainly built me up again. I have different relationships with everyone I meet, and I wouldn't want to forget my time here. They're too precious to me."

"Too precious?"

"Yeah…So, are you going to answer my general question?" She demanded, playfully. _"Huuuh?_ Why do you care so much?"

She watched his face morph into a serious glare as he stood straight, rubbing his fingers in both hands together.

"I guess, because you're precious to me too."

She wondered for a moment if this was something to worry about. The red glued onto his cheeks made her heart flutter at his honest resolution.

"Hey, the exam results are posted!" Some sophomore boys were running passed them, and they turned the wall into the gates of Gekkoukan.

"We should go look at the exams."

"Y-yeah, good idea." He agreed. She lost him in the crowd of students flocking around the billboard in the faculty hallway. The world was ending and she still could not face this.

…She decided not to go look. If she really wanted to look forward, caring about exams that would mean little to her meaning of life were useless to her agenda. She had clung to Ryoji so easily because of their mysterious connection, but Shinjiro's words to move forward had also pulled her into desiring some sort of resolution with the yellow-scarfed boy.

Now she felt alone, which made her desperate. Maybe before she didn't mind being alone, but now that she had felt the inescapable joy of having so much company, she longed for it. She would have to consider what Akihiko was saying before she made any choices.

…She couldn't avoid it all day.

"Sempai! I decided I'd show you my scores," She walked with Mitsuru through the faculty office hallway.

"I'm glad. With good scores this many times in a row, you'll be on the honor roll golden list."

Ezi laughed. "I guess it's just silver for me, then."

"What do you- Oh my," She had found Ezi's name on the plaque of results. "Um, well… at least you weren't in the bottom 10…"

She sighed. "It's been a rough few weeks, but I still feel bad about it."

"It's alright." Mitsuru nodded her head. "It makes sense."

"Thank you for understanding, sempai. I'll do better the next exams!"

The next exams wouldn't be until next year. Mitsuru grinned at the suggestion they'd all be alive then.

"Yes. Do your best."

"At least, you did well, sempai!"

"Yes, I suppose I did."

"You suppose?"

She hesitated. "Well, I would have liked to have shown my father my scores…"

"Oh." She grimaced. "I'm so sorry, sempai. I'm sure he'd be proud of you. We certainly are!"

"Heh, thank you, Leon-san."

"You should show your boyfriend your scores, too!"

"W-what? I don't have a…"

"No, but you could easily have one! Yukari and I were talking the other day about it… why have you never wanted one?"

"Well, I suppose for the same reasons you didn't: I'm too busy, and committing to such an intimate relationship would not suit my agenda."

Ezi pursed her lips. "Yes, but… can I be honest, sempai?"

"Alright."

She cleared her throat. "Before coming to the island, I would say that all the time: I'm too busy for a boyfriend. While I believe part of that is true, after having had been in a relationship now… I think, I think I was just kind of scared of being in one. What others may think, what I'd have to do to keep up the relationship; but I think committing to one, even if you're just close friends, is a good thing. It helps your accomplishments when you have someone close to share them with."

Mitsuru's face was as red as her hair.

"Oh! I didn't know there was someone already…" Ezi trailed off. "Er, is it someone from your class?"

"Um, no, actually…" They began walking down the quiet hall.

"Someone I know? You don't have to tell me… but some people think its Akihiko."

"Akihiko?" She sounded offended, serious again. "Definitely not."

Ezi couldn't help it. She smiled. Was she relieved? Why?

"He's not my type. Anyway, I'm not ready to reveal who it is yet. To be honest, some people would think my type is… grotesque."

She laughed. "I understand. When I first met you, you know I had no idea we'd be talking about this stuff together."

They both giggled at the thought, and they discussed more about their days as they returned to the dorm.

They decided to venture through the Dark Hour that night. The enemies in Tartarus seemed to be growing. Surely, they were close to the top with the coming of Nyx, and surely Nyx wasn't that much more powerful than these Shadows; it was Ezi's logical thinking on this.

"There's a few more stairs until you guys reach the power. Be careful!" Fuuka had said.

"Nyx is approaching, but nothing strange seems to be going on in Tartarus." Ken analyzed.

"Nothing's changed, but I'm tired already!" Yukari admitted. "We haven't fought in so long!"

Yukari, Junpei, Mitsuru and Ezi were exploring the colorful fifth block. Ezi took time battling on hand with Gerulous Masks and Sand Keepers to get their items for Theo's requests, and the others worked on precision in weapon attacks and summoning their Persona to battle. Akihiko led the other groups with Aigis, Ken and Koromaru, and they took out Perpetual Sands of glass and two Mad Cyclops. They all met up once again before reaching the next floor.

"Remember when Junpei was stumbling around with his giant sword? He couldn't even lift it!" Yukari said. They had taken a break on the empty floor, just before the heavy aura on the next one, which was likely a large shadow.

"Whoa! What about you, Yuka-tan? You missed your targets more than a kid being potty-trained!"

"Oh man," She rolled her eyes, "You be glad my aim has improved, or you'd be Tiara food, Stupei!"

They drank water and rested for a few minutes, but when they got to the next floor—

"A dead end. The rest of Tartarus is sealed." Fuuka said. The team stared at the white door that prevented them from continuing. It was pure, glistening, and tied up in white chains all around.

She had been trying to avoid it, but Akihiko was staring at her.

"Um, good job on the mission tonight, sempai."

"Y-yep! You too. I can feel myself getting stronger."

"Me too, Senada-san!" Ken added.

"T-this door is powerful, not like the other seals." Ezi analyzed.

"Yes, I thought it was a strong Shadow, but I suppose it won't open until the next full moon." Fuuka explained.

"Aw, man!" Junpei carped. "What are we gonna do until then?"

"Hey, chill." Ezi teased. "We can still venture through the floors we've been on and train to fight…"

"Fight? Fight what?"

"Uh, stronger Shadows!" She declared.

"Ha! Nyx!" Junpei exclaimed. "You want to fight Nyx, huh?"

"Calm down, I didn't say that!" She laughed. "You guys still have time to make a decision." She looked sadly and smiling at the black floor. "I will do my best to respect everyone's decision. Even though I'm the only one who can commit the action, I want it to come from what you all want."

"Thanks, man."

"We should return to the first floor, then." Said Mitsuru. "We should all rest. You all improved on your exams, you deserve a break… except for Junpei and Ezi, of course."

"Whoa! You can't share personal information like that with everyone else!" Junpei cried.

They laughed as they entered the green platform that propelled them back to the others. Fuuka surveyed for Strega, and thankfully, with them not present, they returned to the dorm safe and sound.

.

.

.TO BE CONTINUED

.Note: The Caterpillar in the **Sun** was Akinari! Get it? I really like his social link in the game; there is never any forced romance between them, just a good wholesome friendship. I made the Theo thing really uncomfortable at the end, because I know its just part of the game that you can't have a social link with him or hangout with him again, but to me it felt like he just wanted to hit that and leave after he visits the dorm XD The Holiday episodes are next! Please review and I hope you enjoyed!


	33. Date 25: Christmas Tale

Note: Happy Holidays again! (2018)~ If you didn't notice yet, I called this block 5 the Wonderland Holidays, so I have been titling the dates based on chapters from the book Alice in Wonderland~ Just a small note~ Enjoy!:

.

Happy Chrysler! .

 **Date 25:**

 **A Caucus Race and a Long Christmas Tale**

 **.**

 **.**

She received a text from Akihiko during lunch.

It was hard to focus in the remaining classes until the end of school. For once, she was nervous, confronting Akihiko. She knew exactly what he wanted to talk about. He would be honest with her, so she would also have to be honest.

He brought her there, to the roof, but said nothing about why…

The sun was going down. She had ditched student council to meet him.

"There's no one here. That's a pity, since the wind is so nice right now." He spoke first, casually. "Shinji used to come up here when he skipped his classes. He's fall asleep, so I'd come here when my club activities were over to wake him up…"

She could picture it.

"You can see out into the distance from here. Its so far that my eyes start to hurt to see it all…"

Then, there was Ryoji, who found this view so beautiful.

"Do you come here often, sempai?"

"Oh, no… but its nice up here."

"In this case, it's okay… so we can talk. So, why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to tell you my decision…"

"Now?"

"Yes, now." He took a deep breath, and exhaled.

She sat on the bench, and he did the same, beside her.

"Do you remember the stuff I told you about my sister? I'm so tired of losing what's important. I thought it would be better not to let things get too important than to risk losing them; but lately, I don' think so. I did the same thing when I met you. I was utterly impressed with your skills, but also, you seemed to remind me of what I had lost, and I wasn't sure if I could move forward with you, worrying too much about what might happen."

She looked out at the setting sun, but she clammed up when she saw he was looking at her. She turned to face him, and he looked straight into her wide eyes.

"If I want to avoid that feeling, I have to work to protect what's precious to me, and that means everything precious to me…. Including you."

He was saying all this so boldly, and he couldn't stop glaring with strength and determination in his eyes.

She could sense his resolve.

"T-tell me what you need to say…"

"I-I will!" Oh, there it was. His normal stammering. "I-I was getting to it!"

"You don't have to yell…"

"Just, shh-!" He grabbed her hand gently and looked down at them. "I meant what I said at the meeting. I'm going to stick with you. I could never blame you for what's happened."

"Yeah, but-"

"Stop that!" He yelled, again. "None of this is your fault! If I thought losing my memories was an option to save my life, I wouldn't do it! My time with you has meant everything to me! I…I don't know what kind of a person I'd be if I had never met you. Like I said, I pushed precious things away. My dreams, my friends… I acted so stern with people so they wouldn't want to be near me and so I could get strong. But you broke passed that and made me better. Um, so..!" He stammered. She was amazed, though, at how easily he was expressing himself.

"…You know, it's really strange. I really liked hanging out together, all those precious moments… I used to, anyway."

"What about now?"

"Now… I feel tense and on edge. It has nothing to do with what's been happening, with Nyx, either; this began even before that. It's the weirdest thing; I want to be with you, but I get nervous when I am around you! I'm on pins and needles. I don't know how to explain this feeling."

"You've been doing good explaining it so far." She swallowed. "I know what you're feeling…" She was almost hesitant to say it. "You're in love."

"Love?" He looked into her eyes again. "This is love, huh? Oh!" He took his hands away from her. He was bright red. "Sorry! I-it just slipped out. Ezi? I'd like to know how you feel, too…"

"I…" She choked. "I didn't know how I was feeling, for a long time. I was in a relationship with Shinjiro, you know that, right?"

"Y-yeah… I know…"

"I thought I loved him, but he never admitted to loving me back in the same capacity. In fact, he demanded I stay by your side, because he knew what was going to happen. I did not really understand what he meant until recently. I guess he wanted you and I to be… I didn't know why. I thought he was just trying to keep me away from him so I wouldn't get hurt. But, I did get hurt anyway, and I don't think that's why he said I should be with you… I've always cared about you, Akihiko. Since we met. At first, I didn't think we'd get along, but, it's strange… I like being with you, too. I was too prideful to admit that I saw you more than just a friend, especially since all those girls were so interested in you. I didn't want to be like them…"

"I was… upset when I guessed you two were together. It never felt right. But, I'd feel terrible if you still had feelings for him, and I was trying to get in the way of that."

"I still miss him, but in the way you do… he wanted me to be over him, and like you said before, I couldn't mop around forever. He wouldn't have wanted that. He wanted me to be happy. He wanted both of us to be happy…" She swallowed and looked back at Akihiko. "I'm happy when I'm with you."

"Ezi…" His soft eyes fluttered. "…Will you be my girl?"

She couldn't be a hypocrite. It was fear of the unknown, part of it anyway, that had held her back before. Yet, she had tried with Shinjiro, maybe even Ryoji, but the anxiety to try was overflowing; it wasn't about being alone, it was about being with him. Did she want to be with Akihiko?

"Ah, why the hell not?" She sounded like she was joking. "I think I was too focused before too, on my lost memories, but I've made new ones here. It seemed easy to get along with you, like when we hangout, it feels like we've been longtime friends. So, yes. If the world is ending, I want to be along side you for it."

"R-Really?" He embraced her quickly, and she was too stunned at her own answer to respond. He squeezed her tight.

"Oh! Sorry!" He let go. "Well then… here's hoping for the best, right?"

"Y-yeah!" She agreed.

"…This got a little awkward all of a sudden."

"It is… but I'm happy, Akihiko."

He beamed. "I'm happy, too."

She hugged him back this time. She grimaced at the thought of what she'd been up to the past few weeks, in the cold. Alone, making poor decisions for her body and spirit. He was so warm.

They leaned against each other and watched the sun set, then returned to the dorm.

The next morning, her cell phone rang.

"Good morning…" Theo was muttering, "This is T-Theo."

"Hello." She was genuinely pleased to hear him, but he still must have been caught up in what they had done.

"U-um, there is a human—1 of them, I think—wandering around Tartarus. P-please carry out a search and rescue."

"Okay, we will."

"G-goodbye, then." The call ended.

She got up and had breakfast with Ken.

He kicked his little feet up as he ate his flaky cereal. "I keep forgetting Christmas is coming up, I've been in a daze with all that's happened."

"I hear you. Maybe we should put a tree up in a here! A fake one, obviously."

"Mom always did that! It's a western tradition, but she loved putting on the lights!"

"Then, that can be your job."

She dressed warmly, in a heavy pale sweater and scarf and boots. Mr. Edigawa's class seemed to be provoking some kind of foreshadowing when he called on her.

"Ezi, what do you call it when you feel happiness in a near death experience?"

She had felt it before, and she would feel it again. "Euphoria?"

"Good work… that is correct. You will have a happy school life…"

She bumped into Junpei in the hallway, and he had a bruise under his eye.

"What happened?" She roared.

"Don't touch it!" He groaned. "I'll tell you about it after school."

"Okay… can we go to the mall together?"

"I guess…"

He hurried into class, and suddenly Yuko was standing in front of her.

"Ezi-san! Some people saw you on the roof! Is it true?"

"I-is what true?"

"Are you and Akihiko a thing now?"

"Oh, dear… Yuko, shouldn't you be doing something more important? Like, sports, stuff?"

"I was supposed to have a little meeting with Rio, but she's been absent all day!"

"What? That's weird… she's so healthy, why would she miss school?"

"You got me!" The five-minute bell rang. "Shoot! I have to go, but you better give me details soon!"

Junpei walked out with Ezi after school. He seemed less tense when they took the monorail to their destination.

"…Don't stare at it so much." He was facing forward on the train, but she kept staring at his left eye. "It was just one punch."

"Who did it?" She demanded. "I'll kick their ass!"

"D-don't bother asking, okay? It's really lame! I don't wanna say it!" He scratched his head. "Well, in any case… I don't think there's going to be any more photos of you going around."

"You… you got them back for me?"

"Hey, don't mention it!" His face was bright red, and his eyes were wide. "I-I think, this was my first time."

"Standing up for a girl? You should do it more often."

"N-no! I thought that if I laughed my way out of everything, I'd never be in trouble. That's why I used to try to avoid being serious whenever I could… You know those times when everyone sits around and talks seriously?"

"You mean, like our SEES team has had to?"

"Yeah… I don't like those. Before, I would goof around; breeze through it and try to be fun. Its easier than sitting around and trying to understand other people. Since I've met you and the others, I've changed a little."

"You've changed a lot, Junpei…"

"Everybody has parts of them that are cool or lame, and mainly everyone is just looking out for themselves. When I saw all of your parts, everyone at SEES, seeing you all like that… I got scared. We can't understand each other unless we say what we think. Staying cool and trying to act cool won't tell anyone anything."

"I've been guilty of that before too… I thought I didn't need to be honest, and just the cool protective leader. That must have frustrated you. There were times I could have been more vulnerable with you all and I was just too worried about what you might think."

"Still… you gave it your all. Seeing someone way smaller than me put everything they have into fighting… it made me ashamed of myself. I never tried my hardest in anything because I never took anything seriously. It put me in a stalemate; I never gained anything because I never tried, so I was never truly happy. I may have never lived my life to the fullest because of it…"

"Junpei…"

He laughed. "What's with the face? I can be serious sometimes too, right?" The train stopped and they got off. "When I got those pictures back of you, I realized something. In the end, I just wanted you to trust me. Like, if someone like you could trust me, I might be worth something. But, trying to get you to rely on me to solve this is just wrong. You're… an important friend of mine."

"Man," She made a puckering noise with her lips, "you are the coolest! You're the only one who admitted how you were feeling about the Fall… I felt like everyone hated me, because no one was being honest, except you. You said how you were really feeling about all of this, so, thanks. I do trust you."

"Good." He nodded, embarrassed.

"I am grateful to you for getting the photos back! That's one less thing I have to worry about…"

"Yeah, one out of a million…" The two of them talked about all kinds of things, and Ezi took a "bathroom break" in the hallway to the Velvet Room.

Theo didn't look at her, but Igor helped her forge Asura, the grand being; a god-like creature with many arms and grey skin and a white robe, from the Sun Arcana. She wondered if Akinari was…

The ventured to find the missing person in Tartarus, somewhere in the middle of Harabah. They split into teams.

Every Shadow, whether a black being on a rocking horse that reached the ceiling, or a small Maya that could cause combustion, seemed to have weakened. She felt like she was getting stronger. Still, there was this uncertainty of battling Nyx and how impossible it supposedly was.

"We found her!" Akihiko reported from the other team. "Let's head back down!"

Ezi was shocked when Akihiko and Junpei had their arms around Rio's shoulders.

"No way… is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's just shaken up a little." He nodded. "Don't worry, we'll take care of her."

She nodded. "Okay."

"It's a good thing we decided to come tonight!" Yukari said with relief. Ezi had already known because of Theo, and even though Igor had said there was no connection, she wondered if the fact she knew Rio was why she had wandered into Tartarus.

"Damn Shadows…" She looked at the round gate. "Damn Nyx…"

"Ezi-san? Let's go." Ken waited to walk with her, and they all went quietly back to the dorm.

The next day there was no school for the Emperor's birthday. Ezi had asked Akihiko if he wanted to hangout via text, but he said he had to take care of something, which sort of disappointed her, but she knew it must have been important.

Akihiko followed Ken to the outskirts back alleyways. They weren't in the exact spot, maybe a few blocks away from that place where they had faced one too many tragedies, and they stood in their heavy coats facing one another.

"I thought you were going to visit your mother's grave."

"Well, I was planning to… But when I thought about what I was going to say to her, it just didn't feel right yet. There are things I still need to do before I talk to her again."

"Same here… I don't have anything to tell Shinji or Miki right now. I have my own stuff to deal with."

"…An undefeatable enemy, huh?" Ken looked down. "Gosh, I wonder what it's like."

"You got me. But, it doesn't matter. I've made up my mind. I'm gonna look straight in the eyes."

Ken looked back at him. "You can count me in too."

"Yeah."

Everyone seemed to be doing their own things that day off; thinking, shopping, wandering—whatever it was, it still felt peaceful and calm, just before the storm.

Mrs. Terauchi was explaining how Europe and America had this day off when Ezi was in class the next day.

"Unlike Japan, December 25th is an important holiday for them… Here, Christmas Eve is just a day for couples to spend time together and give gifts…"

Ezi perked up at this revelation. It was like clock work when Akihiko text her during lunch, saying he would come get her after school. She tried to smile with a giddy thought around her peers, but she was actually excited.

The bell rang, and class was dismissed.

"Well," Yukari groaned, "it's Christmas Eve! Romantic days like this are a drag when you don't have someone…"

"I guess the Minato guy fell through?" They spoke as they gathered their things.

"Well, yeah. You know why…"

"I do. Well, why don't you hangout with someone else?"

"I don't know… I wanted us to have a singles girl's night out, but Fuuka is going out with the music man."

"Is that what we're calling him, now?" Ezi laughed. "I'm proud of her, she really came out of her shell!"

"What about you, Ezi? If you don't have any plans, maybe we could…"

"Not that I wouldn't be against it, Yukari, but…"

"But what? It's not like you-wait a minute! You have a date?"

"Ezi?" Akihiko came into the class to get her. There were definitely eyes and whispers spinning about as he approached Ezi at her desk. "L-Let's get going."

The female students in the class were squealing and cooing over Akihiko's presence.

"Hey, Yukari." He said nicely.

"No way! You two are-?" Yukari was shocked. "I had no idea! Well, you do seem to get along in a weird way…"

"Yeah." Ezi nodded. "Please don't be mad. Uh…" She whispered in her ear. "You should ask Mitsuru out! What do you have to lose?"

Yukari's face turned red. "I-I-couldn't!"

"It's up to you. But, remember… the clock is ticking."

"W-Well, anyway, I'm not mad." She smiled. "Have fun, you two."

"Thank you. Ezi?" He reached his hand out to her, and with a great satisfaction, she took it. She followed Akihiko out under the other students' intense glares, down the halls and out the gates. They left the school and went to the outdoor mall first. The stores were lit up with golden and blue lights and wreaths and bells and Christmas trees heavy with shiny ornaments.

"It looks so clean here, not like it usually is."

"Yeah, they really try to make things more pretty and romantic on holidays." He cleared his throat. "Let's go look at some of the decorations!"

He was like an excited child. He was over enthusiastic about the lights and the trees.

They walked all around the streets, all the way to Paulownia mall.

"Whoa! The fountain!" Ezi exclaimed. It was glowing in colors of neon, and around it was white and green Christmas trees with lights that elevated the same palette of colors.

"How pretty." She said.

"Come on, let's sit there, I've dragged you around long enough." He led her by the hand to the fountain.

"I-I got you a present." He explained. From his pouch, he pulled out a wrapped green present.

"You shouldn't have."

"It's the least I could do."

He got her a white music box with jewels on the side of them. They looked like emeralds.

"Aw, Aki…" She opened it slowly, and the glass ballerina began to dance. She danced inside the box, into the city where orange twilight always lingered, where battles with dark shadows and white shadows intertwined to create this fantasy world of make believe and reality. The song…

She grunted.

Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Y-yes… That song just sounds familiar."

"The lady did say she got it from off the island."

"Is it from the antique shop?"

"Yeah… is that okay? I know you don't like jewelry really, but I wanted to get some sort of keepsake still-"

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I love it. I got something for you, too. But, I didn't know Christmas was for events like this, so I don't have it with me…"

"It's okay."

"Wait!" She grabbed her back-pack and pulled out the homemade chocolate truffle fries she had made with Fuuka the day before. " _Yees!_ I have made some delicious sweets for you!"

"Really? Just for me, huh?"

"Well… I was gonna give them to someone…"

He opened the box. "They look delicious. Let's eat them together."

"T-together?"

"Open your mouth." He had one between his finger tips. She was thinking 'I'm not a child, I know how to eat fries…' but she realized it was a romantic ploy.

" _Ahhh,"_ She did what she was told and he stuck it in. "Damn, these are good!" She grabbed two more.

"Hey don't eat all of them! They're for me, remember?"

"But you don't like sweets, sempai…"

"T-that's not the point and you know it!"

"Ah, then you just don't like sharing. I see how it is."

He laughed, embarrassingly. "I used to hate Christmas. I'd always make wishes to Santa that never came true… but, he did manage to make Miki's wishes come true."

"You mean..?"

"Somehow the orphanage would get her a new toy every Christmas. I don't know, I guess it was a Christmas miracle. This year, he's given me exactly what I wanted for a long time."

"Don't be corny!" She laughed.

"T-the lady at the store said its great for holding valuables, like jewelry… maybe every year, I'll get you something to put inside the music box."

She beamed at him. "Then, I can't wait until next year."

He smiled and embraced her. "Me neither."

Despite everything, all the worries of what may or may not happen, the inevitable Nyx approaching… the future seemed unknown. And that was a joy in itself.

She thought she'd talk about Nyx, since it had popped into her mind. "Aki—"

When she turned to look up at him, he kissed her, gently on the lips. They stood in their candid moment for what seemed like 500 seconds, and he held her tightly in his arms even as their faces parted.

"Merry Christmas." He said to her.

She smiled back and they stayed in each other's arms for a long moment, keeping warm, watching the bundled couples go by in the light.

Akihiko kissed the top of her head, rubbed her shoulders, and sighed as if he were relaxed.

"Merry Christmas." She replied. She was getting sleepy. The Christmas lights faded in and out of the blurry vision and she rested in his arms. They talked quietly until night fell.

The next day, Ezi saw Yuko greet Rio.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" She wrapped her arms her neck.

Rio choked. "W-what do you mean?"

"Rio?" Kenji appeared behind them.

"'Sup?"

"Uh…" He ran up to her and hugged her also.

"H-hey!"

"I'm so glad you're safe!"

"W-what do you mean? You guys thought I was missing too?"

"I heard it from your parents!" He explained.

"Oh… I don't know what happened… sorry to have worried all of you…" She hugged him back, and they were clearly both happy.

She smiled at the couple, hopefully they would be happy in their last moments together."

"Oof!" She had been looking at Rio and Kenji, and she bumped into Akihiko, who grabbed her shoulders.

"Ah-! You okay?"

"Yeah!" She grinned. "Hi!"

"Hi! What's up?"

She looked around for a moment. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas." He smiled back.

"Can you get everyone in the lounge? I have surprises for all of you!"

In class, they had a study hall hour. She worked with Junpei.

"I'm getting the hang of this… Man, talk about a rotten time to start doing better for your future."

"You'll have a future, Junpei." She said softly.

"Yeah, yeah…By the way, you came home late last night." He was searing his squinted eyes at her.

"Ah, I did…" She chuckled, nervously.

"How dare you. I'm so jealous. It seems everyone had a date yesterday. Yukari and Mitsuru came home late as well. Although, I can't imagine who hooked up with Mitsuru!"

"They both came home late?" She sounded happy. "I wonder…"

"Anyway, its about time you and Akihiko-sempai are, you know… That guy's been crushing on you forever, it feels like!"

"Is that so?" It felt good to hear it from someone else.

"Yeah, it was getting annoying, for me. He was moping around like a little baby! _I can't stop thinking about her, Junpei. What should I do, Junpei_?"

"You're exaggerating." She chuckled.

Mitsuru met with Akihiko after school, and they walked to the dorm with Junpei, Yukari and Fuuka.

"What's all the buzz about?" Yukari wondered.

"I don't know man, just get me back to the dorm!" Junpei whined, they were walking up the dorm steps. "This snow is gonna kill me!"

They busted through the entrance into the lounge, and the loud tune of "Jingle Bell Rock" was playing. There were red and green string lights on the walls left and right, and there was an artificial green tree with white lights and a star on top, with gifts underneath it.

"Happy Christmas!" Ken and Ezi declared.

"Woof!" Koromaru had a Santa hat on for dogs, and his ears stuck out from the sides. Ken had on a green elf suit; his ears even looked pointed. Ezi had on a girl Santa suit, with a red skirt and black boots.

"Wow!" Fuuka gasped. "This is so magical!"

"The lounge is so bright!" Mitsuru exclaimed.

"Dude, awesome!" Junpei yelled.

"We made this for all of you." Ken said.

"Yeah! It was Ken's idea, mainly."

"I just wanted to have a party. Ezi decided we should do it westernized."

"I've never celebrated Christmas like this before!" Fuuka was grinning wildly.

"You guys, this is amazing…" Yukari said, and she looked at Mitsuru. "This is beautiful."

"It is…"

"Come on, you guys!" Ken led them to the dining room, where roast beef, sushi, fried rice and omelet were spread out with sides of sugar cookies shaped into Christmas symbols and chocolate fudge. There were glass bottles with eggnog and hot chocolate and a sake glass.

"Wow, this spread!" Junpei was practically drooling.

"I'm so excited…" Yukari said to herself.

"Good! I figured I would show some western celebration too for this…"

"Maybe next year, we can prepare more." Akihiko finally spoke, and everyone looked at him. "That's right. I said next year, because we're gonna celebrate another year together."

"Sempai…" Junpei said quietly. "Yeah, let's dig in!"

"Thank you both for this wonderful celebration of the holiday." Mitsuru sat down first.

"All this talk I've been hearing about Nyx and the end of the world; this is refreshing." Akihiko walked over to Ezi, and sat beside her.

"Dig in, everyone!"

"Yo, Ezi… is this, sake?" Junpei turned the large bottle in his hand.

"Oh, yeah…" She tapped her chin, innocently. "Ah, you see, the sushi meal came with a special offer. I guess our psycho chairman had bought from this place before. They didn't ask questions, they just added the sake to it! I figured everyone could try some if they wanted to… I mean it may not be the end of world, but still…"

"I get you." He put the bottle down. "You guys are free to do what you want, I don't want it, though."

"I'll try!" Yukari grabbed the bottle.

"R-really?" Mitsuru seemed worried.

"I mean, I want to believe we all have a future, but f we don't, I want drinking alcohol off my bucket list at least."

"That's a good point…" Fuuka stared at the glistening temptation.

"Everyone should be able to do what they want." Akihiko declared. "No judgment from any of us."

"What happened to next year Mr. big shot?" Yukari teased.

"Well, it's like you said… just in case." He looked at the bottle, as everyone seemed to be.

"…I'm gonna eat!" Ezi declared. It calmed everyone down enough to fill up their own plates, then everyone passed the eggnog and sake around like it were no big deal. They dressed their meets and rice in soy sauce and ginger and other seasonings, and ate and drank like it was a normal celebration. Koromaru had decent dog food with beef and barbecue, and everyone dined on western and cultural appetites in a flushed, buzzing fancy. They spoke of their average days and anticipations for what was to come, as well as singing to the corny holiday songs that popped up on their playlist.

"Here, here!" Junpei had probably had only one shot of sake, and he was gone, "cheers to everyone! We can do it!"

"Here, here!" Fuuka giggled, who was also intoxicated in one form or another.

"Arf!" Koromaru begged for more delectable food, and everyone brought their plates to the sink.

"Okay! I bought everyone gifts! Like I'm Santa!" She declared.

"Really?" Fuuka held up the green wrapped box.

"Ezi-san, we didn't get you anything!" Yukari whined.

"Ah, Santa only excepts cookies!"

"I think she may have had too much to drink." Mitsuru closed her eyes and gave a smug grin.

"No! I'm serious. Its supposed to be a gift with no strings, so just open them!"

"I thought you might enjoy it!"

Fuuka opened her green shape of a gift. "Oh! This is…"

"A cook book! I thought if you made more recipes, it could be from a good book like this!"

"This is marvelous. So many things to cook…" Her eyes were sparkling. "Thank you, Ezi-san…"

Yukari opened her pink box. There was a brand purse and perfume that smelled of flowers inside.

"I figured if you wore it, it would remind to make a flower shop!" She said warmly.

"Like we talked about! Thank you…"

Junpei's was in an oxford blue box, and there was a good luck charm attached to a cell phone strap, with golden embroidered on it.

"In case you need light to light your way! It should help you on exams! And, anything else you do in life!"

"Wow… thanks, dude!" Junpei was excited about the gift. "These cookies are the best, too!"

"I helped make them, but I had no idea they were going to be used for this event!" Fuuka exclaimed.

"I got you one too, Ken!" She pointed to the orange present, which was round, and he opened it.

"A Kansa soccer ball!" He bumped it on his forehead, grinning.

"I know you already have one during school, but I thought you could use this one off practice."

"This brand is great, too! Thank you, Ezi-san. But, I didn't get anything for you."

"Nonsense! Helping with the decorations was what I needed. If I did miss anything from America, it was definitely the holidays." She looked around with big eyes. "Sempai, open yours!"

"A-alright." Mitsuru red velvet present was unfolded. "A felt bag. _Magnifique_. And, a journal, inside?"

"A planner, actually! I have an itinerary like that, but I just doodle in it. Maybe yours can help you stay organized! Not that you aren't, already."

"I am grateful for this." She nodded.

Akihiko was last. He took steady care in pulling the ribbon loose on his white box.

"This is-?"

"I made it!"

"I can tell…." He wrapped the red knit scarf around his neck.

"Don't tease me! So my talents haven't stretched to the domestic form of knitting, so sue me!"

"No, I really like it!" he squeezed the material around him with both hands. "It's special because you made it. I'll wear this until it gets warm again."

She smiled at the news.

"This is wonderful. I used to celebrate Christmas when my father and I lived off the island and traveled a bit. Thank you, Amada and Leon."

"You mean, Mrs. Claus!" Ezi winked, and made a pose with her hand giving a peace sign.

"And… Mr. Elf!" Ken declared. "…That sounded cooler in my head."

"I have more treats for you, boy!"

"Arf!"

The team sat around the tree, drinking their hot chocolate, and some sake on the side, listening to the holiday music and exchanging stories of their lives and days.

She couldn't recall how specifically, but everyone had been laughing and skulking around in lack of their sobriety, and she was putting dishes away with Akihiko. Everyone else seemed to have gone to bed. It was already close to the Dark Hour. _"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"_ was playing, and they put the final dish away and talked by the counter.

"This was really nice." He said, folding his arms.

"I'm glad!"

"But, are you okay? I mean…" He looked down. "You didn't do this because of Nyx, right?"

She blinked. "I wonder about that. I don't know if I would have done all this if I knew for certain we had next year."

"You're not certain?" He bellowed. "We are going to have another year. Can't you believe that?"

"I want to…"

He grabbed her hands, and looked at her eyes again. "Believe in me! That's all I want…"

"Akihiko…"

"Um, it's getting late." The heat radiating from him was enough to stoke a fireplace.

"I know, but I'm not tired."

"Er, I see…" He was stammering too much, "Do you want to come to my room?"

She decided to go to Akihiko's room.

….It was what she had expected.

"Sorry, there's no where to sit except the floor. Maybe I have a cushion somewhere…"

There were three punching bags in the space above his rug, weights of different size by the window, and workout bands and weight balls stuffed in the corner by his bed. Ezi sat criss-cross on his rug.

"Um! Do you want something to drink?"

"No… Everyone drank enough tonight, remember? Just sit already!"

"Right! Sorry…" He practically fell on the floor in front of her. "Is this better?" He seemed flustered.

"Yes!" She scanned the room again. "So… this is, nice!" She complimented weakly.

"Uh, does my room seem weird? It doesn't weird you out, does it?"

She couldn't help but giggle. "I don't know what else I was expecting… it suits you."

"You think so? That's good…" He was fidgeting, his toes and fingers were shaking, and he couldn't look up at her. It made her more nervous than she had expected. He was planning something, considering they were in his room now, she had a pretty good idea what the plan entailed.

"…Though, I guess that means it's me, not my room that's weird."

"Don't put yourself down so much!"

"S-sorry, this is all new to me."

"You've… never had a girl in your room, huh?"

"No! Of course not! I mean, I've never thought before that I needed a girlfriend or anything. But that's not something you go out and get because you need it, huh?" He laughed, and she laughed along with him, only to ease the tension. "This may seem weird, but I wanted to give you this." From his back pocket, Akihiko pulled out a knit rabbit doll.

"Oh…"

"Will you take it?"

"Well…of course…"

"Don't you think it looks like you?"

She grimaced and raised her eyes as she analyzed the rabbit, trying to understand how he could possibly…

"What's with the face? It looks just like you!"

"If you think I'm pink with 'X' eyes, then yes, you found my twin!"

They both laughed. "Come on! I thought-!" He tried explaining himself, but he couldn't while he was laughing.

"Oh my gosh… that was a fail." She insisted. "It's okay, it's okay…"

"I love the way you laugh." He said suddenly. She looked up at him to see him smiling at her.

"D-don't compliment me so randomly! First you say I'm a bunny, now you say my laugh is nice…" She paused. "No, the truth is I like it when you compliment me."

"Good." He chuckled. "You know, there was a time when… I thought I was just seeing Miki in you. But when I got that rabbit, I knew that wasn't the case. Passing by toy stores always made me think of Miki, even though I was still trying to just forget her. I didn't want to face what happened to her, so I just telling myself I was doing everything I could. But this time, when I saw that at the store, I thought of you instead; your face was the first thing that popped into my mind. Then, I thought about Miki… about her smiling. Ezi, if it hadn't been for you, I might have never gotten over it, I would have just kept on pretending that I did."

"Aki…"

"Whenever things have been painful or sad… you've always been there for me. I know this may seem late, but I know you're having difficult times. I want to be there for you too, for anything. Please, count on me, too."

"I… never wanted to feel helpless again after my brother died. I told myself I didn't need to be with anyone because I could take care of myself. But, you're right. Even through tough times, its good to have someone you care about supporting you…"

He grabbed her hand gently, lifted it, and kissed the top of it. "From now on, we have each other."

"Akihiko…"

He looked up to her. "I hope you don't mind me telling you this, but, you mean a lot to me. I've never felt this way about any other person, and I want to be with you… however long or short of a time that may be."

She swallowed.

"…I love you." His face was bright red, and the heat seemed to infiltrate her as well.

Nyx was coming, of course he should be able to express his true feelings to her. Even if their feelings were not completely the same, she cared deeply for him. They were the same in their loss, and they understood each other's pain and humor, and how to encourage one another, despite their differences. They were like family now.

"I…love you too." And she didn't know if she meant it in the family way she had been thinking, or if it was something more.

His smile widened. "I'm so happy you said that. You know, I wonder what would have happened to me if you'd never come here… Uh, Port Island in general, not this room!"

"You're not cute!"

"I'm serious! D-Don't think I'm gonna lose control or anything because I let you in here!"

She was laughing, hard, heaved over and her arms wrapped around her stomach. "You want to, don't you? You're such a gentlemen, Akihiko!"

"Don't laugh like that!" He stammered, rubbing one of his cheeks.

"Sorry, sorry. You know I can't help it when you get nervous!"

He tried to calm down, and she slowly ceased her mocking. "Ezi, you're the only one I can act this around."

"I feel honored, sempai."

"Do you… would you mind calling me… Aki?"

"Oh? That seems a bit bold." She teased. "Are you sure?"

"Come on, let me hear how it sounds."

"Hmm, okay." She stretched her arms and twisted her neck left and right, like she was preparing some sort of daring feat. "Aki."

"Thanks." He nodded. "I'll be sure to make you happy."

"You better!" She said. "But, I like you already. Being with you does… make me happy." She chuckled. "It's funny. I didn't want to admit something like before, with all the hype about you. I didn't want to seem, normal, I guess? I used to think having feelings was some kind of weakness, or at least, those you carried feelings for were. But, I was wrong. I guess you understand that more than anyone."

"I do… and, in time, I hope you can find even more things about me to love."

She nodded. "I want you to learn more about me, too…" He slowly pushed her hand back towards her, until he was pushing it passed her, causing her body to fall down with it. Their eyes were locked, and he hovered over her. She thought is sweat would drip onto her as he leaned in and they kissed on the lips, for the first time.

Their lips parted. "Um!" He sat up quickly, allowing her to get back up. "L-like I said! Total control!"

She laughed again. "Thanks for this. I feel better knowing I have you for support."

"S-same here…" His hand slowly reached for her leg. She thought of Theo, how easily she had allowed him to embrace her when they weren't even in a relationship. The thought of that encounter caused her to yank her leg away.

"Sorry… this is too fast, huh?"

"No, it's not your fault. I just really want it to mean something, you know?"

"Right. I won't pressure you into it, if you're not ready."

"Thank you, Akihiko." She cupped his chin and smiled. "I'm a bit tired, now."

"Me too." He nodded. He jumped up and helped her stand as well.

"I'm glad we can talk like this. With everything we've been through… it's nice."

"Y-yeah!"

"Well." She headed for the door, feeling solemn. "Goodnight."

"H-hold on!" He was behind her, and when she turned around, they kissed, longingly, one more time.

"…Weee, we're really dating, huh?" She tried to cover her face, for some reason.

"Don't be embarrassed!" He laughed.

"I can't help itttt."

"Well, we can talk more about it later. We have a rough week ahead of us."

"Yes." She nodded. "Pleasant dreams!"

They parted and went to bed for the night, reflecting on the unusual and blissful Christmas they had experienced.

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.TO BE CONTINUED

Whenever I played the game, I only barely got to dating Akihiko towards the end like this, because I didn't want to be dating him when the other boys only had their short time. Anyway I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!


	34. Date 255: The New Year

Its New Year's Eve! I posted all the holiday chapters in one day; sorry about that. But please continue reviewing and tell me what you think! I hope everyone didn't mind the Christmas add-on story. Anyway, EnjoY:

 **Date 25 (2):**

 **The Caucus Race and the Long New Year**

Winter vacation had started. Fuuka sat on a bench near the station in her turtle-neck and mint cover up when she Junpei approaching.

"What are you doing here, Junpei-kun?"

"Nothing, really. I come here when I'm feeling down."

"Is that Chidori's sketchbook?" She pointed to thick book under his arm.

"Yeah. This was the spot I first met her in. What are you doing here, Fuuka?"

"I just got off the train. I went to visit my home. I've been going there a lot lately."

"…I see." He thought about before, how Fuuka didn't like going home before. "You know, you've changed a lot, Fuuka. You used to be so timid back then, but now you're so strong and outgoing."

"You've changed a lot too, Junpei-kun."

"Yuka-tan said the same thing, but I don't think so, try as I might. But, the other day I got all freaked about being scared. I even lashed out at our leader. I'm a real piece of work, aren't I?" He sighed. "I apologized to her and we made up, but I wonder if I'll go back to my weaker self, because I'm still scared."

"I don't think you will."

"Well, I hope not. But, after thinking about it, I realized I don't want to lose my memories. If I forget everything, it means I'll forget Chidori, too. I wouldn't be alive to make this choice had it not been for her, ya know? So I say "f" that."

"You're scared because you're not going to run away. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Fuuka…"

"That's why I want to protect everyone. The Dark Hour is really scary too, right? But, our Persona's awakened to fight the darkness, and we're here today. The future hasn't been decided yet, and I want to be my true self when I face it."

"True to yourself…" He grinned. "You're really something, Fuuka. We should fight."

"I agree. "f" this Nyx!"

He laughed. "It doesn't sound right, coming from you…"

They walked home together, with their decisions made.

It seemed everyone was having a quiet break, now. Considering the ultimate choice was only a few days away. Ezi spent most of her time with Akihiko, and they talked about their pasts and what was to come. He didn't say anything about his choice, but she had an idea of what decision he had made. Even Koromaru seemed to have some sort of resolution in his eyes when she walked him.

She tried to see Akinari, but he wasn't there anymore. Then, she was holding Akihiko's hand as they entered the memorial hospital.

"It's almost been three months." Shinjiro's doctor was speaking to them in the waiting room. "What would you like to do?"

"Give us a moment."

The doctor left the two of them in the closed space.

"What do you want to do?" Ezi repeated the question. "It's your decision." 3 months had gone by and they had felt like an eternity.

He shook his head. "Two months back, I considered pulling the plugs. Even if he could wake up, would he be the same..?"

"Aki…"

He was squeezing her hand. "I just thought: I don't want him to be suffering. But, then the news of Nyx arrived, and I realized we get to have a choice still. Shinji gets to choose, too. We're leaving the machines on."

She smiled. "I thought you might say that."

The morning of December 30th, she was dreaming about flying, when Yukari banged on her room door.

"Hellooo? Are you awake?"

"I am now." She grumbled.

"Sorry! I just wanted to tell you the good news. Aigis is coming back today!"

She remembered the silver bridge, and the sudden realization of Nyx in the light of the Dark Hour. The same spot where Aigis had sealed Ryoji within her.

"Mitsuru-sempai said they repaired her completely in the lab. We're meeting in the lounge tonight, don't forget! See yah!"

Her day with Akihiko rolled by quickly, and suddenly she was sitting with everyone in the lounge.

"I am back everyone. Sorry to have worried you all."

"I'm glad to see you! I was getting worried they might not be able to fix you." Junpei said.

"Tomorrow is New Years Eve." Mitsuru explained. "I had some of the adjustments on you expedited so you could be here on time."

"I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused." She looked to Ezi. "Ezi? Have you been well? I mean, considering the circumstances…"

"I'm okay, Aigis!"

"What I did to you, years ago…"

"You didn't have a choice. Besides, better me than someone who couldn't deal with Death inside them!"

"Ezi… If I had not done that to you, you all would not be suffering!" Aigis cringed, she sounded as if she were about to weep. "Ryoji has presented you with a difficult choice. Please, I have a favor to ask: When Ryoji appears, kill him! Please choose to have your memories erased!"

"Aigis…"

"Why are being like this?" Yukari said.

"Yeah, this isn't like you at all." Said Junpei.

"What's wrong, Aigis?" Mitsuru asked sternly.

Aigis waited a moment to speak. "…Why? Why did I come back here? My mission is to defeat Shadows… but I cannot even defeat the ultimate Shadow. I am useless! I cannot even shed a tear for you all."

"Oh, Aigis…" Fuuka said sadly.

"Why fight when you know there is no hope? When you know you cannot win? Why are you wasting your lives?"

"Aigis, we're not wasting our lives; we're just not going to give up!" Ken answered.

"He's right." Akihiko added. "We aren't wasting our lives, that's why we want to see what's up ahead."

"I do not understand…. Maybe it is because I don't possess a life."

"That's not true. You're just as real as any of us." Junpei laughed.

"I have not fulfilled my duties as a machine meant to defeat Shadows… so then, what is my purpose now? Could someone please tell me?"

"Aigis…" Ezi clenched her fists. "You know, I have a friend who's dying of a disease. He started out really angry that he was dying and he didn't know what his purpose was yet. But, he's happy now, because he realized he could make his own purpose. He found bliss in knowing that only you can make your own purpose for life, Aigis, and if you surround it with friends and people who love you, maybe you can create purpose for them too, even if you don't see it."

"I agree with that." Said Mitsuru. "There are times you may lose sight of your goals, but then you can make new ones. Set your heart on new goals."

"When I saw you collapse, I realized something! I want to protect you, Aigis. I wouldn't want to forget about you, either." Fuuka decided.

Ezi thought how this would apply to her. Her lost memories made her miserable, but her goals her with her new friends had been something she hadn't realized had brought her so much joy…

"Aigis, you can change." Mitsuru continued. "Haven't you noticed that already?"

"…I am a machine with a purpose. And the one who can give this new purpose to me, is me… This is the promise I have made to myself.

"Atta girl!" Yukari cheered.

"I don't know how I'll do it, but I guess that is part of living, too."

The SEES team was startled by a warm light that flooded the lounge. Aigis's persona appeared before her, and Palladion turned into Athena, the white shoulder protector.

"Whoa… cool." Junpei commented.

"Would you all allow me to be part of your team?"

"Ha, you're already part of the team!" Ezi exclaimed.

"Thank you, everyone. No matter what happens, I'll stay with you."

Mitsuru nodded. "We've all been through a lot this year but you can see the change in all of us: our new personas bring us more strength. We'll use them to fight Nyxx."

"Yeah…" Ezi said quietly. "Tomorrow, we'll tell Ryoji our choice."

It was now New Year's Eve. As promised, Ryoji had finally come. The moment had arrived to make a decision.

Ryoji was in the lounge where the others had gathered, as if he had always been there.

"Hey everyone. Long time no see." He smiled, sadly, at them. "Midnight is just around the corner, and at that time I will turn from this form into something unrecognizable. So, have you all reached a decision?"

Everyone one was silent.

"Okay, I'll wait in her room. Come see me when you have your answer." Ryoji took quiet, slow steps up to Ezi's room, and everyone decided to wait until they could not hear him anymore.

"Leon-san… you have made your decision already, then?"

"Yes. I have." She nodded her head seriously.

"And the rest of you have made your decisions as well?"

"No need to ask me." Assured Akihiko.

"You know how I feel, sempai." Yukari said.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't on board." Junpei decided.

"I'm with the rest of you." Fuuka added.

"Arf!" Said Koromaru.

"I'm in too." Ken agreed.

"I have made my decision as well." Aigis nodded.

"Then we're all in agreement." Mitsuru declared.

"Yeah… Ezi…" Akihiko shrugged towards her. "You'd better go tell him our choice."

She nodded to them and began up the stairs. She felt dizzy, her legs were like without a skeleton in them. She wanted to run back to the cold night air, to the mall, anywhere but there. Even with a decision made, it was still a bizarre situation that could go in any direction.

Ryoji was standing in the corner beside her bed when she walked in. He turned from the wall to face her.

"Hey…I didn't think I'd ever be in this room again under such circumstances."

"Neither did I."

"I had a good time, you know, back then…."

She nodded. But said nothing.

"Don't tell me you've all decided to let me live…" He almost sounded terribly angry. "…You're all going to risk your lives on a battle can't win." He looked up at her. "But Ezi, you're the only one here, now. So, I'll say this one more time: If you kill me, Tartarus, the Dark Hour, and your memories of the battle will all disappear. Tomorrow, you can wake as a normal high school student. You'll be able to live in peace until the moment of The Fall. But if you let me live, you'll spend every waking moment in fear of your inevitable death. Nyx cannot be defeated! It'd useless to fight her!"

She swallowed. She couldn't look up at him, not yet. She clenched her fists and said nothing.

"Are you still thinking? Or have you already made up your mind?"

"Ryoji… I could never kill you. Besides, we've already decided. We want you to live, Ryoji."

"Ezi…" He sounded offended, upset. "There is still some time until midnight. I did not want to have to show you this, but you leave me no choice."

In a flash of light, Ryoji was gone from his post. Instead, a giant creature was floating about in the corner of Ezi's room. It had a metal plated head the shape of a reptile, with black holes for eyes. He wore cape-like suit sashed around him in blue, and white gloves and black boots. The creature had seven thin coffins dangled and floating around his head. It breathed steadily, but loudly.

"You…" She recognized the creature. "Ryoji, you came out of me before… When we were in great danger, and the first time I unleashed my Persona… You're Thanatos."

"Yes. You see, then, Ezi? I'm not human. I will bring death to this world until I am finally satiated. Do not hesitate to kill something like me."

"You were out of control. You bashed that first Shadow into mush before I even realized it…"

"Yes. Ezi, I want you to think about this carefully…"

Despite the distorted voice, she could still hear Ryoji's in a low hum.

"Some things in the world cannot be changed. You are young, you do not understand this bind towards fate, how little control you actually have yet…"

"I do understand it!" She retorted. "People have died, people have been hurt and I cannot do a thing about it!"

"As people die, Nyx is unstoppable. It will not be the end for you if you forgot all of this. Memories are ambiguous, and they can be replaced with new ones, creating a new reality, one you would not suffer through. Don't you want your friends to live happily until the end? Don't you want to end their suffering? It is up to you. You're the only one who can make this decision."

"Ryoji…"

"Now, this is your last chance. Tell me your answer."

"I…" She choked. She was crying, but she could barely feel the tears on her face.

"Ezi…Please, kill me…" He begged. "I don't want you to suffer."

She inhaled, sharply, and breathed out, calming her reaction. "I don't want my friends to suffer."

"Then, you know what you must do."

"I…I would making them suffer even more, if I killed you. Besides, I could never kill you, Ryoji."

"Ezi-"

"No, you've tried to convince me enough." She sniffed. "You're wrong, Ryoji. You're so wrong. My friends will suffer more if they lose their memories. Maybe you're right, maybe old memories can be replaced, but these ones are too precious to just let go forever until the end! I think… I think I've had this choice before. In fact, I know I have… for some greater good, I chose to lose my memories. I still don't know what they are, I may never find them. And, I know it's my fault I lost them. I would never make that same mistake again, no matter what the consequences. The memories I've made here on the island, with my friends, with you… I would rather die than lose them all! So whether we can defeat Nyx or not, which I strongly believe we can, I would rather die with the memories of my loved ones still with me…"

He sighed, as if he were about to cry himself.

She couldn't breathe, "…I know you want me to end the pain, but pain is a part of living. I don't want my friends to suffer, and they'd suffer even more if I took their memories away, if they didn't know about the truth of their own lives. The things that they have discovered about themselves have been through our experiences with the Personas. They've gained their own reasons to live, their purposes of life, just in this last year. If they were to forget, they'd know something was missing in their memories, like I did. They would feel alone, unable to find this missing hole in their hearts, this gap of lost memories that is so important, the memories that brought them purposes to live would be gone. I could never take those purposes away from them… that would be true suffering." She griped her chest. "I know that pain, I cannot let them endure the same pain. I'm sorry… I cannot kill you."

The floating creature sighed sadly, and said nothing for a long moment. In a flash, Ryoji appeared again, and the creature form was gone.

"I understand…" He said quietly. "It's regrettable, but it's your life. You can do what you want with it. I will respect your decision…." He sighed. Clearly, he was not pleased with her decision, which she could have cared less about. This was the right choice. It had to be.

"Ezi…" He wanted to say more, something to get her to change her mind, but she wouldn't budge, no matter what he said.

"…Let's go back to the lounge. I need to tell you guys how to confront Nyx."

"Thank you." She nodded and went ahead of him to the door. He gripped her hand.

"Oh, I should say my fair well to you, it's the last time we'll be able to speak like this."

She nodded again and wiped the wet off her face.

"Thank you, goodbye, and I'm sorry… I wish we could have had more time together."

"We had 14 years together!" She was joking, but she still couldn't stop crying.

"….I meant, while I was human." He chuckled. "It was nice. I'm glad we met. I'm glad I knew you as Ryoji Mochizuki. I'm glad we could share these last few moments together like this. Thank you." He smiled.

She didn't want him to go, either. "God, this sucks!" She tried fanning herself with her free hand. Ryoji slipped off the golden ring he had bought from their school field trip in Kyoto, and slipped it onto her finger.

"Could you hold onto this for me? It is proof I was human, however short a time… If you held onto it for me, I think I'll be able to stand it."

"Stand what?"

"That I can't be with you anymore. But this is how things have to be."

"Ryoji…" She squeezed his hand tightly. "I'll miss you, so much…"

She could feel the bond, the one she had felt with so many of her new friends on the island. This was one of her closest ones, one that she knew would never fade.

He pulled her into him and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."

She was too flabbergasted to respond, but she smiled, sadly.

"We should go back. The others will be worried I'm sure." He led her out of the room back down the stairs to the others.

Junpei greeted them first. "Yo! What's up, Ryoji?"

He sighed again. "It's an unfortunate decision, but it's yours to make."

"That's right." Yukari stated.

"We still have to try and defeat Nyx." Mitsuru added.

"But it's impossible."

"Personally, I don't care if Nyx is unbeatable or not." Akihiko insisted.

"Right, I understand…. It's almost midnight, so I'll keep it brief. You'll find Nyx at the top of Tartarus."

"Of course we will…" Junpei grumbled.

"On the promised day, you must journey to the top of the tower."

"When is the day?" Yukari asked.

"One month from now: January 31st. Nyx will descend to Tartarus and the world will end. Tartarus is a gigantic rift in the darkness in the sky. It's a beacon to guide Nyx to this place in time. The demise will come with her."

"So, that's why it's called the Tower of Demise." Akihiko realized.

"So, we can fight Nyx if we reach the top?" Mitsuru pressed.

"Yes. But remember, starting today you will be fighting eternal despair. When you finally face her, you will understand this truth."

"We understand. There's no need to keep telling us." Mitsuru said. "January 31st. We won't forget that date."

"Yeah, have a little faith, buddy!" Junpei teased.

"Aigis, before I go, I wanted to say I'm sorry for what I put you through."

"I will not forget that you were my enemy. And my friend."

"Thank you…" He looked around at everyone. "This will probably be the last time I will see you all like this. But, I'll always be watching over all of you. Well, goodbye, then."

"Ryoji-kun…" Fuuka said.

"We'll miss you." Said Ken.

"Best wishes on the coming year. That's what you're supposed to say, right?" He walked towards the door and brushed by Ezi. He squeezed her hand, one last time.

"Ezi…" He was smiling, and she felt her insides falling apart in her chest. This is how it should be.

"Goodbye. My dearest."

He walked out the front door, never to return again.

"His dearest?" Akihiko pondered.

"Heh, that Ryoji…" Junpei was smiling at the door still.

"Together, we will reach the top of Tartarus." Mitsuru assured. "We will train, and keep fighting the strong enemies to prepare for Nyx."

"Yes. Let's do it, together." Fuuka agreed.

"Yeah! I don't think SEES can get anymore kickass than this!" Junpei exclaimed.

"I agree." Ken said. "SEES is looking bright."

"Maybe… we should call it something new. We've all changed so much, why not change the team name?"

"Leon-san is right. SEES was made to explore Tartarus, but we have a new goal now." Mitsuru agreed.

"What should we be called now, then?" Yukari and the others waited.

"How about: The Nyx Destroyers?" Junpei declared.

"No… Something else." Yukari rejected.

"The Nyx… Annihilation team?" Ken suggested.

"I like it." Ezi grinned.

"Me too." Mitsuru announced. "Alright, then. The Nyx Annihilation Team is a go."

The clock struck midnight.

They were confident, and excited, and tired. It had been a long year filled wit memories worth remembering. The Nyx Annihilation Squad went to rest, celebrating a new year.

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TO BE CONTINUED!

Awe, well I hope everyone had a good year. Here's to best wishes in the coming year to you all!

Farewell for now, My Dearests. Please comment and favorite to your hearts desire!


	35. Block 6: Date 26: Wicked

**OLo! I know its been a while, almost a yeaaarrrr. I'm just posting because I want to get this whole story out. I really loved this game and now it seems like a distant memory I need to share with others. So I hope you enjoy~ Last time it ended off after the team decided to keep Ryoji alive and start the new years:**

~PERSONA 3 Portable~

Block VI: FINN

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 **Date 26:**

 **Wicked**

It was a cool day in the dormitory lounge. Ken came downstairs just as Akihiko was feeding Koromaru. They wished each other a Happy New Year, when Junpei came in.

"Aw, man, why did I sleep in? Probably because of that movie that was on TV last night. Did you guys see it? It had these giant Amazon women in it and it was totally ridiculous!"

"Why would I watch that?" Akihiko criticized.

"Uh, is anyone going to the shrine?" Ken changed the subject.

"No. I don't believe in superstitions."

"Me neither." Junpei added.

"Oh, that's too bad. Yukari-san and the others are already there. They're all wearing kimonos."

"Kimonos, huh?" Junpei smirked with intention. "I'm gonna run to the store."

"Hold it right there, Junpei." Akihiko said sternly. "You're going to the shrine, aren't you?"

"N-no, I'm not… I'm just going for a walk…"

"Oh, yeah? Then I'm going with you, then. I'm bored."

"Oh, I'll go too." Ken said.

"A-alright, then… Let's go…"

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They walked to the Naganaki Shrine. It was crowded with people visiting the New Years, and there were small tents with sizzling food, antiques and small souvenirs to purchase. It seemed Mitsuru held a pattern to all the girls' kimonos; although they had fitting, different colors, they all had Sakura flowers on the design of the kimono somewhere.

Yukari wore her hair down with pink sakuras above her left ear, and wore an Indian pink kimono.

"Have you decided what to wish for?"

"Aren't you not supposed to tell anyone your wish?" Ezi put her index finger to her lips. "Shh!"

"I don't think that's how it works…" Mitsuru chuckled. She was standing beside Yukari in a black kimono, and her red hair was pinned up high in a large, perfectly messy bun.

Ezi lined up with everyone and they observed the shrine, waiting for their opportunity to stand in the alter and pray.

Aigis was next to her. "Lately, I have been coming to this place often."

"Really?"

"Indeed. My outlook of places like here and school have changed. It's been so long since I first enrolled to school."

"It does seem like forever ago."

"This is the place where Koromaru was waiting for someone, us, to find him, even though his true owner had died…I understand it was feelings that drove him now, not facts. It was a fact he had died, but his feelings were what made him stay here. His loyalty."

"Yeah… he's a great dog. Better than most people."

"I suppose that's why I am still here." Aigis said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Yukari asked.

"Even though I have grasped the fact that I am unable to protect you fully, here I remain. I suppose I subconsciously always feeling like I needed to protect you out of guilt, but now it something more."

"Wow, Aigis, you have certainly grown with the rest of us."

Even if she hadn't been human, her functionality in the universe seemed to have spiraled to something more, like Aeon.

"Oh, I suppose I said people, but Koromaru and I are not human. I apologize." Then, she seemed somewhat lonely.

Ezi was about to console her when the boys showed up.

"Oh, it's Junpei-kun and the others." Fuuka was wearing a mint kimono and a long bronze jewelry piece in her short, fern hair.

They walked up the stairs from the entrance.

"Happy New Year!" Yukari cheered. "Let's hope for the best this year, guys!"

"Y-Yuka-tan…" Junpei's face was red.

"W-what?"

"What's wrong, Iori?" Mitsuru asked.

"Wow, sempai! You look hot!" He exclaimed. "Um, that it is…Er…"

"Stop staring at me." She demanded.

"And Fuuka! Wow, you look great!"

"Geez…" She chuckled. "I've worn a kimono before, but I guess it looks okay.".

"This is a traditional outfit, but it is hard to move in." Aigis admitted. Her kimono was bright pink.

"Considering what you usually wear, it looks amazing on you, Ai-chan!" Junpei complimented.

"Is that so? What is this odd sensation I feel?"

"Well, I think I can guess why you came to the shrine." Ezi grumbled.

"But man, I gotta say, you look pretty cute too, Ezi!"

"Ezi?" She turned to see Akihiko behind them. He looked like dazed, lost, as he looked at her. He was wearing the red scarf.

She smiled, wondering what he was thinking about. "Yes, sempai?"

"Oh, uh…" He yelled, suddenly. "I-It's nothing!"

"Oh man I'm so glad I came…" Junpei rubbed his nose. "New Year's kicks ass! Yah!"

"Why does Junpei-san act so strange?" Aigis asked sincerely.

"Man, we got to see some great stuff today. Right, Akihiko sempai?"

"Uh… I-I guess so."

"You do look very nice, ladies." Ken said. "But, aren't you cold?"

"A little, but this is my favorite time of year for the weather!" Yukari explained.

"That's not what I meant: Junpei said you girls weren't wearing anything under your kimonos."

"He said WHAT?" Fuuka cried.

"You really took Ken under wing, huh?" Yukari snarled.

"OUCH!" She smacked him over the head.

"We're about to make our wishes! Chill for a second, guys." Ezi chided.

Each girl took a moment to go to the shrine and pray. Ezi knelt down on the stone and thought of everything that had happened. What would everything be like if she had chosen to forget again? She couldn't imagine.

"What did you wish for, Yukari?" Fuuka asked.

"Just to make it through the year!"

"So did I." Mitsuru nodded. "A common wish, but it holds a particularly important meaning this year."

Ezi swallowed and walked over to Akihiko. He had his hands in his pockets, and he was looking at the souvenirs being sold by the shrine.

"H-hey." She said.

"Oh—" He stumbled to stand up straight. "Sorry, I'm not used to seeing you wear stuff like that… I'm just embarrassed, sorry."

"How do you think I feel?" She teased. "But you know, I wore a yukata at the fair, back in the summer time, remember?"

"Y-yeah, I do…" He smiled. "I enjoyed going to that with you."

"Why don't you pray for this new year?"

"Eh, I've never really believed. Why do you pray?"

"For hope. For peace… I believe in a spiritual world. I know my loved ones that have gone are in a better place."

"Really…" He seemed to be musing to himself. He grabbed her hand gently. "Ezi?"

"Yes, Aki?"

"If you choose to believe in something, believe in me. I'll support you and protect you, no matter what."

"Aki…"

"Everyone, should we get going? It's getting crowded." Mitsuru said.

"What did you wish for, Junpei?" Ken asked.

"You guys know I can't say! Then it won't come true!"

"Did you wish to defeat Nyx and for a good year? Like us?" Fuuka guessed.

He chuckled. "Let's nip this in the bud, guys."

After the praying, the Nyx Annihilation Team went to lunch at the ramen shop. They ate together, laughed together, and enjoyed each other's company, as much as they could.

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The sun was going down when they got to the dorm, and Ezi's phone rang.

"Ezi? Hello, this is Theodore."

"I know…" It was still awkward between them.

"Um, I sense an intense presence within Tartarus. The path that sealed the final block is now open."

"Really? That's great news!"

"Um, one more thing… I regret to inform you my sister has expressed a desire to test you."

"Your sister, Margarita? I mean, Margaret?"

"Yes… There will be a new door only you can see at the foot of Tartarus. You can go see her from there, if you are interested."

"Okay, thanks, Theo. I could use some help before we fight Nyx."

"Yes. Well, goodbye, then." He hung up.

A test of strength? Whatever Margaret had planned, she was ready.

"Ezi…"

Akihiko stood beside her at the front door. "Yeah?"

"You look beautiful in the kimono. I don't want to waste it… c-can we go out to dinner?"

"Oh…" She looked down. His thumb was rubbing the top of her hand. "Um, maybe we should rest. I bet if we go to Tartarus tonight, the seal will be open."

"Oh, okay…"

"Come on! Don't you want to go to the next block?"

"I-I do! More than anything…"

"Then, let's tell the others. Tonight, we'll go through Tartarus."

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The new team went to The Tower of Demise at the Dark Hour.

"It feels weird… we've been here 100 times before, but it feels different now, new." Ken explained.

"I feel the same way." Akihiko said. "We have a new goal now. Let's continue on…"

Ezi could see it, the patterned silver door underneath the stairway of Tartarus. She walked cautiously towards it, the new portal. She jiggled the handle, and it opened slowly into a warm sun.

She paced ever so gently into the sand. The desert that went on for miles had stones sticking out of it. No, the stones were doors. As Ezi's eyes adjusted to the outdoor light, she could see someone in blue standing in front of all of them.

"It was good of you to come." The woman in the blue dress had long, curly white hair. Her skin was almost grey, and her eyes were yellow, like Theo's. "I am Margaret."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you." Ezi said cheerily.

"I am the one who rules over power. Will that help you understand my being?"

"Uh, sure…"

"I've heard a lot about you from Theo…" Margaret began sizing her up, scanning Ezi from her toes to the top of her head many times. "He seems to have found you quite favorable, even more than other Persona-users we've encountered."

"Is that so?"

Her expression was staid. "I don't see that from here, still I thought I'd come see you with my own eyes."

"Oh…" She felt like she was being inspected now, patronized.

"This place is the Vision Quest Hall. It's a world inside of you that I have prepared."

"A world inside me?"

"I have made various contests in accordance to your memories. Do you remember the giant shadows you fought so far?"

"Of course I do."

"Here, you will be able to fight them again, just as you did the first time."

"Like the first time?"

"It will be easier if you just do the tasks; you will understand what I mean."

Ezi raised her eyes. "So… Why did you create this for me?"

"Think of it as my challenge to you. If you're as great as Theo claims you are, the tasks won't be a problem."

More bitterness. It was like Margaret could smell the fact on her that she had slept with Theo. Or, maybe she was just the opposite of Theo, and this was just her emotionless way of helping.

"There are questions to each door. Questions that will be answered once the enemy is defeated."

"Questions?"

"…Like I said, it will make more sense if you open the door."

"Uh, okay…." She looked at all of the different constructed doors. "…So, which way should I start? Left to right, right to left…? The middle?"

Margaret said nothing in her annoyance.

"…I'll just…" Ezi felt a strong pull to the grey door with the pink mask on the far left. "I should do this… for everyone… I need to get stronger to defeat Nyx."

She opened the door, and was blinded by a magical blue light.

 _Why did you choose to come to the island?_

A few seconds felt like centuries, as she waited for the power to subside.

"You idiot, Junpei!" It was Yukari talking. "I told you not to go this far alone!"

"Huh?"

She was standing on the train with Yukari and Junpei.

"What does it matter? You're here now, right? Help me fight this thing!"

The three of them were standing in front of a Shadow. It was the first shadow, with strips of hair connecting through the conductor's controls of the train, and a long body and skirt. Its black and white body sat on the floor with a pink mask, waiting to be attacked.

"I got this! Ariato!" Junpei summoned his current persona, Trismegistus, and it blew fire at the shadow. She moaned in pain sensually, as she had the first time they fought her on the unstoppable train.

"What..?"

"I've never seen such a large Shadow as this," Mitsuru was on the walkie-buds, "be on your guard! Together, you can defeat it!"

"R-right!" Yukari put her evoker to her head. "Persona!" She sounded so timid, and her eyes were shaking, but the Persona she summoned was Isis. Isis flew with its Garudyne towards the Shadow, and she moaned again in pain.

"Hey, you gonna stand there or are you gonna help?" Junpei snapped.

"What? Oh!" She summoned Loki, and used Bufudyne on it. The ice pelted over its body for a short while, then it broke the ice.

"What? That should have worked!"

The creature summoned screaming tiaras, so Ezi had Yukari and Junpei fight them off while she went for the big shadow. She charged towards it, as she had before, but the shadow was quick, and wiped Ezi back with her red fingernails. Ezi flew back to the end of the cart, feeling warm blood trickle down her cheek.

"The Shadow… is a lot faster than it was before!" She realized.

The shadow summoned Bufudyne power over Yukari's head, and Ezi pushed her out of the way before the block of ice could drop on her.

"Its powers are advanced too?" She said aloud.

"Leon-san, focus!" Mitsuru snapped.

"Yeah, right!"

She had to help Junpei and Yukari many times. While their personas were updated, their cunning and skill was not, so she had to jump a lot to avoid the shadows constant swiping hand.

She huffed. "Why is this so hard? The shadow is old, but it's power…" She decided thinking about it wasn't enough. She would have to see it as a new enemy, despite the memory. "Okay…"

Junpei and Yukari spread out to the sides, and while they did, Ezi moved from Yukari's side on the right to leap off the train wall onto the shadow's head. She sliced it down in half, and as the black and white parted, the shadow moaned out in pain one final time as it disappeared in black spots.

"Great job everyone!" Mitsuru said. Her voice echoed into Ezi's mind as the room turned white.

 _I guess… I came to the island because I was alone in America. The lost memories were a major part of it too, but if I hadn't felt abandoned there, I may have never come here to make new memories…._

…She fell into the sand, coughing from the dust she had abruptly inhaled.

"One down, many more to go." Margaret said. Ezi was back in the desert.

"So…" She coughed and stood up, "…That was what you meant by… memories…"

"You seem tired. That was only the first boss…" She noted.

"Uh…" She wiped the drying blood from her cheek. "It's real."

"Of course it is. You can die here just as easily as you would out there. This place is real, created from your memories."

"Wow…" She wiped off her sandy knees. "…You are powerful. You know, you could have mentioned you added a boost of power to the enemy."

"You still have your current strength intact. What sort of challenge would it be if you fought weak Shadows?"

"None, I suppose…" Ezi sighed. "Thanks."

"You seem tired. Maybe, you should rest for now, come back later to fight another Shadow."

She wanted to show her energy, just to spite Margaret a little. "…Maybe you're right."

She looked into the empty space and saw the silver door she had entered from. "Next time, I'll fight more for you to see."

Margaret nodded, and Ezi left her.

Not a second had gone by when she returned to the lobby of Tartarus.

"You ready to go?" Akihiko asked her.

"Oh, yeah…"

His fingertips gently rubbed the side of her face. "What happened to your cheek?"

The blood was still coming out from the cut the first shadow had made. "Uh…it was from a previous wound! I re-opened it on accident. It was getting itchy so I scratched it."

"Oh. You ought to be careful."

"I will!" She was so tired from the fight. "You guys ready to go in?"

She traveled in with Akihiko, Junpei, and Yukari. They teleported to the end of the fifth block, and the lock that had been on the gate surrounding the winding staircase was lifted.

"Okay… let's go." They huddled together and hurried up the neon, winding stairs. The next floor was quieter; no blinking and buzzing lights. It was completely white…

"This looks like…" Ezi stared into the beautiful marble architecture of the 6th block, Adamah. The marble was carved into triangular patterns on the wall, glistening in deep creamy color and pale silver charm.

"Oblivion…"

How? How was she remembering anything? She screamed. Her head felt like a thousand needles were going in and out of it.

"Ezi?" She could barely hear her mortified friends as they went to her aid. She hit the ground, and curled into a ball, holding her head.

"What's wrong? Hey!" Junpei cried.

"Ezi? Snap out of it!" Akihiko exclaimed.

 _In this castle…every floor you go up, you will lose a memory, but gain an old one…_

Someone with wild hair was smiling down at her, sinisterly.

… _you don't belong here, my dear…. Return to the others…_

It hurt so terribly, like a thousand bees pecking her brain. The man in the black cape, this castle that looked familiar… She tried to remember, but she was out in seconds.

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Akihiko must have been the one to carry her to the hospital. He was sitting in the chair next to her hospital bed, with a blanket wrapped around him. It looked itchy.

"Hey," He sat up as he awoke, staring down at her with light eyes and a mild grin. "'Doctors said you had another mental break and it exhausted you. I'm glad you're okay."

"Oh…" She groaned, her body felt sore as she tried to sit up on the bed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened this time."

"Was it that floor? The new block in Tartarus?"

"Yeah. I've seen something like that before. I've been in a castle just like it."

"Really?" He sounded excited. "Are you recalling your lost memories?"

"I don't know, but, I know it won't happen again. I'm ready to go into Tartarus!"

"Shh-!" He turned around to see the glass sliding door was slightly open. Suddenly she was listening to all the phones ringing and nurses running around until he closed it abruptly.

"The cult." He said.

"Oh, that? I haven't heard much about it since school…"

"Whatever it is, they are aware of the coming of Nyx. _If you believe, you will be saved._ Tch, what a joke."

"That's their, what, slogan?"

"Mitsuru's been doing some research. The public is all over this crap."

"We'll have to be on our guard."

"Yeah. If people from that cult found out we were trying to fight against their, I don't know, deity, or whatever, they might try to harm us. So, be careful what you say in public. Anyone could be a part of that thing."

"Do you think they know about the Tower of Demise?"

"Probably." He sat down again and sighed, rubbing her forehead gently with his palm. "I'm glad you're okay, though. The doctors said to rest here today, then you can go home tonight."

.

She walked home with him that night. There were many of the Lost roaming around near their dorm, and on the sidewalk east of their steps had graffiti in red lower case letters, jumbled together to form the word "nyx".

"…We have to go to Tartarus tonight." She grabbed his hand, instinctually.

He smiled. "Yeah."

They all prepared with fresh weapons from the station, and ointments and armor from the antique shop. The whole team, except for Koromaru, who stayed with Fuuka, went back up to the new, white block.

It was different from castle she had been in before, but it had been enough to trigger her memory. Still, the Adamah block looked like it was forged in pale, white crystals, with incomplete hexagonal shapes indented irregularly on the walls, and triangular pillars. It was grand, and the presence of strong Shadows seemed to radiant form its reflecting excellence.

The first thing that appeared was a hoard of Bigoted Mayas and Amenti Ravens, like an army.

"Loki!" Ezi pulled the evoker's trigger to her head, and the mischievous sprite with devil wings, blonde hair and blue body suit summoned a green wind to slice and push back the ravens. Yukari's Isis joined in the slaughtering of enemy numbers, and Aigis shot her gun at all of the Mayas while Akihiko's Cesar summoned electricity to weaken them.

There was Royal Dancer on the next floor: The duet dancers dressed in black with charm and a black heart spinning above their headless bodies.

"It must be eliminated!" Aigis shot rapid fires at it, but the bullets bounced off the heart and barely tore through the clothes.

"This ends now!" Mitsuru spun the evoker to her head, and Artemisia summoned Bufudyne, and it crashed down onto them, then ice was encased around their shuffling feet, and they could no longer move.

"Alright, good job!" Akihiko was about to summon Cesar, but the Dancer made a giggle noise as it pointed its thin pary sword at him, and he was struck with a pallet of fluttering hearts.

"Ah, a charm!" Ken cried. "Are you okay, sempai?"

In Mitsuru's head, she thought of how it wouldn't work on Akihiko because he was much more strong willed than most of them, but he slowly turned to face Ezi with a mindless, horrible smile and laughter.

"Aki?" She held up her Naginata. He immediately charged and began swinging his knuckles at her, and they were gloved with sharp hooks on the ends of them.

"Sempai, stop!" Junpei yelled, but he didn't respond. The Shadow seemed to point at Aigis, and Aigis froze, too, with a stunned look at first, then she smiled as she pointed her guns at everyone.

Mitsuru and Yukari had already prepared, and used their Persona's together to block the bullets.

"It even worked on Aigis?" Ken realized.

"Little man! Help me out!" Junpei and Ken stayed behind the others' Personas protecting them, but summoned their own to take out the Shadow. Trismegistus and Kala-Nemi tackled it, and beat and kicked it like bullies on playground.

"Aki, snap out of it!"

He laughed at every swing. She blocked his upper swing down on her, and she fell to her knees. He was really strong; he kicked her in the chest and she went rolling back. She scrambled back up and jumped right to avoid more of his swings.

"Aigis, stop!" Mitsuru demanded.

"I've got it! Maybe I can charm her with Isis! Go!" The sphinx like Persona's eyes began to glow a bright pink, and it scanned Aigis. She seemed startled by the indirect attack, and her eyes were blue again as she ceased fire.

"It cancelled it out!" Mitsuru proclaimed. Aigis turned herself to face the Shadow.

"Proceeding!" She summoned the warrior Athena, and it charged in to throw a few licks in itself, until the three of them wiped it out.

"Huh?" Akihiko blinked several times until his senses were clear.

"It seems the enemies are getting stronger, too." Fuuka announced. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah!" Ezi declared.

"Are you okay? I did that?" He rubbed the blood on her cheek. "No…"

He had managed a deep scratch on her face. "It's okay! You didn't do it on purpose!" She chuckled, but he looked disturbed.

"I used charm!" Yukari was excited.

"I told you when you joined; I knew you would be able to use it." Mitsuru nodded proudly.

"If only I could use it on Nyx and tell that bitch to step off!"

"Bitch?" Junpei seemed shocked she cursed. "I like it."

"Thanks Aigis, Junpei, Ken!" Ezi waved to them, and they gave her a thumb-up. After a moment of recovering, they continued up a few floors. Ken took out Silver Dice with a Hamaoan spell of light, while Mitsuru used ice to destroy the Death Dice that came floating their way. There was a golden Emperor Beetle that filled an entire small floor, and everyone seemed to slash and strike it with their weapons after Junpei's Trismegistus kicked it and rolled it onto its back.

There were some more Mayas and Ravens that they took out, and after many floors of exhaustion, Fuuka returned them using Juno's escape route ability, which was the same as if they were to have found a green portal to return to the first floor. They had all gained new powers and strengths, but the enemies seemed to have grown as well. Ezi decided she would need to train in Margret's dwelling to prepare for them, and Nyx.

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The rest of winter break felt like a death sentence. She hung out with Mitsuru, Yukari, and Akihiko mainly, but their conversations were flooded with what might happen in the future. She was in a bad mood for some reason when she was speaking to Ken outside of their dorm, the night before they had to go back to school again.

"H-how are you, Ezi-san?" Ken asked.

"I've been better. Are you okay? I know this has been a lot to take in."

"I'll be okay." He whispered.

"Ken?" A boy about Ken's age was walking by, bundled up for the cold night air.

"Oh, hi." He said.

"What are you doing here? Who's this?"

"This is my friend-"

"You're friend? That's so weird! Why would you hangout with her? She's so old!"

"Old?" She echoed.

"I-It's not weird!" Ken retorted.

"Yeah it is! Dumbass! Hag!" He pointed at each of them and ran off laughing.

"Hag?" She sounded sad. "Um, nice friend you got there, Ken."

"He's just someone from my class… I don't really like him. I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be. That boy was rude! I guess kids are brutally honest…"

"Ezi? Is that all how you see me? As just a kid?"

"What? No way; you're way more mature than those kids."

"But, you still treat me like a kid." He grumbled.

"What?"

"Everyone at the dorm is so nice to me, but I don't want to be treated just nicely! I want… I want you to see me as more than just a kid!"

"Um, okay?"

Ken stood in silence for a moment. "Can't you see me… the way you see Akihiko?"

"Aki-?" She sighed. "Ohhh, I see. Ken, sit down."

They sat on the stairs. "You re a very special friend to me. So is Akihiko, but in a different way. I never dreamed I'd make so many great friends when I got here. But, that's all you are to me… a friend. You understand?"

"But… you see him differently, don't you?"

He didn't seem to know they were dating. "Uh… yes, I do. Because I like him, not because he's older than you, I just, have a bond with him."

"I see… Then, how can I be seen by all of these people I respect? Like you and Akihiko?"

She sighed. "I think you're very mature for your age, Ken. Honestly, you're cooler than most people I know at my school. You're a special friend to me. Okay? I won't treat you like some kid, because you're not. You've endured and grown through hardships like the rest of us, you deserve our respect too. Okay?"

He said nothing for a moment, then smiled. "I appreciate that a lot. I just hope it's enough."

"Enough?"

"Whatever my strength at the end of this… I just hope it's enough to defeat Nyx."

"I'm pretty sure it will be, because you're gonna be working alongside us!"

He nodded. "Yeah."

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The next day, Ms. Toriumi was bragging that she got to drink and party up on New Years. Ezi wondered if she'd be able to celebrate anymore New Years after they faced Nyx…

The day seemed blurry, and Ezi could only think about getting stronger in Tartarus to prepare. Junpei met with her in their class after school.

"Hey, dude. Can you come with me a sec?"

"No funny stuff, okay?"

"Come on, what's with the shifty look? I just wanna chat. Let's head to the roof."

They walked down the halls to the rooftop. They sat on the benches and looked outward into the view as they spoke.

"It's almost coming of age day. I used to just think of it as a day off. Now I wonder if I'm even gonna live long enough to celebrate it…"

"That's morbid thinking." She teased, then grimaced. "I hope that you will."

"Yeah. It's been pretty weird around here lately."

"Tell me about it."

"People have been passing out for no reason or gone missing. Dude, it's crazy. It's all gotta be because of this Nyx. I guess you heard about the doomsday cult too? They've been spreading the news to everyone about the end of the world coming. We gotta do something, and quick."

"We're on the case! But, we have to be cautious."

"You're right—"

"Not to mention, Strega is still out there. We haven't seen them up to anything, but they have to be stopped to."

"Yes… Maybe it's all connected. Takaya would spew stuff about the Tower of Demise and other nonsense."

"You got a point there!"

She sighed. "I guess its sort of scary, I'll admit. The threat is getting closer to everyone, and we have to be careful when we go out even in daylight, especially if this doomsday cult is as crazy as Strega or Ikutsuki were." She clasped her fists to her chest. "I'll kick all of their asses!"

"Don't strain yourself too much." Junpei chuckled. "Man, to think I'd be trusting such a cutie like you with my life…"

"Eek! Don't flatter me!" She wondered why he was being so odd. "What's with that?"

"Ow!" She had punched his arm. "I'm serious! Still, I would have never thought any of this would be happening last spring." He looked back off into the distance. "Ya know, I don't think its hit me completely yet."

"Me neither. The facts are there in front of us, but it doesn't seem real, like it couldn't be."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we should just sit around and wait for it to happen."

"Yeah! Let's kick her ass too!"

"You're pretty cool, man. That thing was inside you for ten years. And you harnessed its power and made it your own." He turned to face her. "I know I've run my mouth a lot since the day we met, and yeah I may have called you "cutie" and you might have thought I was making fun of you… But I'm serious when I say, I trust you with my life."

"Junpei…"

"I'm… glad to know you. I'm embarrassed to say it, but that's really how I feel."

"Man, that's all true. I am pretty great."

He nudged her arm. "Come on, I'm serious!"

"But, you're great too. A lot of people don't see their flaws, but you did and changed it up to make yourself a better guy. You're pretty cool too."

"We'll always be friends, right? I mean, even after this is all over?"

"Well, if you insist." She nodded her head with energy. "Of course!"

"Hehe… I'm gonna hold you to that."

Of course he was getting emotional, they might not make it after the fight, but she couldn't afford to think like that. She exchanged a firm handshake with Junpei.

"Welp! Better get going. I gotta go help out a friend with homework."

"You are helping someone with homework?" She was about to tease. "Well, I'm proud of you. Good luck."

"Yeah. Take care of yourself. I'll see you at the dorm, cutie!"

As she walked back down the stairs, Akihiko was by laboratory hall way on the steps.

"There you are." He said. "I guess I should have texted you."

"Everything okay?"

"No… well… I was thinking about the other night again when I attacked you. Sorry…"

"It's okay! You already know it is okay!"

"It's just… If you ever need anything, you know I'd do anything for you, right? The others feel the same way, too. You always take too much on yourself. You worry me, you know?"

She stared at him. "Ah… but I can handle it…"

She liked that he was concerned about her.

"What? Don't stare at me so much. Don't you need to be somewhere?"

"Nope." She stood on her tip-toes.

"In that case, you wanna hangout? Come to my room again?"

"Yeahhh, why not?"

"O-okay then… let's go."

.

.

Later, in Akihiko's room:

"Having you in my room changes everything."

"How so?"

"I don't know. It makes everything in here have a different atmosphere."

"I'm magical." She teased, but he said nothing. There was definitely some sort of atmosphere, and it was heavy. She sat on the floor, tapping her feet with her hands on her uniform skirt.

"Come on, start a conversation." He demanded. Clearly, he was nervous.

"Um… hello."

"Really?" He stated. "Fine, I take it back, you don't have to say anything."

"Cool, dog."

"Just close your eyes and let our bodies do the talking."

"…That's what you're going with?" She smiled, holding in her giggle.

"What else am I supposed to say?"

"Nothing. It's cute." She looked into his face to see he could not stare back, until he finally did. Grey determination met crimson valor and they both had answered the open question in the musty, silent room.

He gently reached for the back of her head as she leaned into give him a kiss, and he rested his fingertips on her neck, moaning into her mouth as they kissed fervently. He pressed further, until she swayed back and lay on the floor as they made out, grabbing any part of each other as they roamed each other perfectly, lightening their sensations.

They stopped a moment to catch their breath.

"I think I've been imagining this longer than I realized." He admitted. "This isn't a dream, is it?"

She grinned slyly and reached her arms around his neck, pulling him in to smother him with more kisses.

"Feels pretty real to me." Her cheeks were flushed, and Akihiko examined them with a light stroke of the back of his hand. She gently felt his warm cheeks as well.

"Come here." He lifted her up as they stared at one another off the floor, and he escorted her to the bed. They sat down and quickly made out some more, with Ezi taking the lead this time and straddling him as they kissed and groaned into each other's mouths.

She gasped, feeling him rubbing against the inside of her thigh.

"Ah-, sorry-!" He sounded embarrassed, but she quickly covered his mouth with her hand.

"Don't be shy about it." She insisted. She carefully lifted up each leg and he watched her remove her pink and white undergarments, tossing them onto the floor. His face was unreadable for a moment as he scanned them and his view trailed back to her, until finally he easily sat up with her on him and she yelped as she fell back onto his bed. He tore skillfully at her uniform's buttons and started kissing her breasts as he reached for her bra, which she reached behind and took off herself as his mouth explored her body. He sat up to give her some sort of serious, wild look she had never seen him grant her before.

Now, he had lost control.

They both seemed to smile sweetly before he continued, kissing lower and lower until he was at her stomach, moving side to side to kiss her hips even before sitting back up between her legs. He unzipped his pants and slid them off while she bit her lower lip. The low-lidded look of lust in her eyes seemed to spark his desire even more as he started kissing her jaw and lips again. They

….She spent a longer time with Akihiko that afternoon.

.

.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

 **Shorter than before. The title of each date/chapter will be from books I read as a child. I don't know why, I just labeled them that way. I decided to not go deeper with the intimacy scenes with Akihiko, just leave it to your imagination. Thanks for the follows and reviews, and goodnight!**


	36. Date 27: Redwall

**Maybe I missed this in the game, but Margaret said there would be a question that would be answered after every door you went through, so I made my own. There's some filler with Akihiko and the MCs relationship here, because well, its the end of the world, and they don't hangout much after the tenth or e;eventh date in the game. Here it be:**

 **.**

Date 27: Redwall

Now, it was evening.

"Senada-san, where have you been? I wanted to ask you something about Tartarus." Ken seemed excited.

"O-oh, is that so?" Akihiko was flustered, and the ribbon his uniform was loose and crooked.

"Yeah, and Ezi-san too. Where is she?"

"Here I am!" Her hair was messy, and her ribbon was also, a tad loose.

"Oh, you were in your room all this time?" Akihiko said it rather loudly, as if to make that statement true.

"Ah, oh… Yeah! I-I was, studying…" She felt like a villain, secretly basking in the thrill of the crime. "Uh, we s-should go to Tartarus tonight!"

"Yeah!" Akihiko agreed. "Hopefully you haven't tired yourself out too much… Uh, studying, that is."

"No way! I'm full of energy." She really wanted to fight in Margret's challenges again, too. She did feel that there was something wrong, maybe about her and Akihiko.

As everyone stretched inside of Tartarus to prepare their next travel, she went to the Paradigm door. She knew she would use a lot of power, but she felt so much energy for some reason or another.

"Hey, Margaret!" She walked into the warm sand of the impossible place with many doors.

"I have opened the next door for you. Within it lies another question. You may enter it if you like."

"Right!"

"Of course, I can make no guarantee you'll make it out alive."

"Again, thanks!" She grumbled something as she headed for the Emperor and Empress door.

"Yeah… so I went through the priestess door last time. This time I go to…" She went to the next door. It was white with two masks on it. She inhaled and exhaled before entering. The white light blinded her before entering the arena.

 _Why did you decide to make friends on the island, when finding your memories was your top priority?_

"…Um, I'll try to find out the enemy's weakness. Just let me know when." Fuuka said.

Ezi's eyes adjusted to the area. She was back in the lobby of Tartarus, where the large Empress and skinny emperor had appeared.

"This was when Fuuka joined the team!" Ezi realized. Natsuki, Yukari, and Mitsuru were unconscious and sprawled away from the fight.

"My lightning isn't working!" Akihiko snarled. "What should we do? Dammit!"

"Uh, Fuuka! Scan them now!" Ezi ordered.

"A-alright!" She called back.

The Empress was about to us her staff on Junpei, but Ezi whacked her first. The Empress fell down, kicking and screaming.

"You found the enemy's weakness!" Fuuka declared. Junpei used Aragidyne on the Emperor, but the fire did nothing to him. It used vorpal blade, and cuts all over the air.

"Ahh!" Junpei and Akihiko flew back, with tiny cuts going all around their body.

"Guys!" Ezi watched as the emperor used Paradigm shift.

"The emperor's properties have changed!" Fuuka declared.

"No way… it can change its arcana?" Akihiko grunted.

"Junpei, use fire now!" Ezi yelled.

"What? Are you crazy? It didn't work before!"

"Trust me!"

The fire enveloped the emperor again, and it fell backwards onto its back.

"Now… an all out attack! Now's our chance!" Akihiko exclaimed. The three of them charged at the fallen Shadows, and after many punches and stabs, the shadows gave in, and were defeated.

"Good job!" Fuuka said.

"Now, the empress!" Akihiko punched his gloves together. Junpei used fire again, but it only swirled around the circular empress and her staff.

"Hold on… " Fuuka said. Mitsuru awoke. The others blocked and dodged the empress' swipes and almighty attacks, until Fuuka told them to use blizzard, which Mitsuru obliged from the side, and it froze the Shadow so they could use an all out attack, vanquishing the beast.

Junpei and Akihiko were panting like dogs.

"Good job, everyone! Y-you destroyed those things!" Fuuka praised.

"Hey, thanks for helping us out…" Said Junpei, and their voices faded as Ezi returned to the desert in the white light.

 _I chose friends over finding my memories because I was lonely. I suppose the desperation to please others so I could be liked again clung onto me, but coming here, I realized I didn't have to do that so I wouldn't be alone anymore…_

Ezi gasped for breath when she returned to the desert. She had fallen in the sand again on her knees.

She stood up. "Wow, Fuuka really saved our asses on that first fight with her!"

"Well, that one may have been too easy." Margaret said, referring to the door.

"They were easier to defeat when you know they can change their abilities." Ezi dusted the sand off of her.

"Shall you try another task tonight?"

"Sure…" Ezi went through the Hierophant door next.

 _Why did you choose to help SEES when you knew nothing of how dangerous their missions would be?_

She was back in the hotel room with Yukari, Junpei and Akihiko, and they were fighting the fat Shadow with the strange womanly thing with noodles for a head massaging it's mask behind it. The Shadow had no immunity to any attack, so the group used their favorite magic and physical attacks to strike the beast as it tried to use panic and fear magic on them. It took a tremendous amount of time, though, since the Shadow was stronger, and their attacks did little to it with every hit. Every time it used Prophecy of Ruin to bring doubt, Yukari used her ability of the Me Patra Gem to dispel the fear, and Akihiko would block for her when it used Maziodyne, a lightning technique that Yukari was easily weakened by. Within a little over the hour, they had defeated the Heriophant Shadow. It fell over in its chair and turned into dust.

"Mission accomplished!" Fuuka had said. And, unlike in the real memory, Ezi was able to turn around and open the door of the room easily, which led back out to the desert.

 _I suppose I joined SEES because I knew it was dangerous. At first, I thought I had done it to please my dorm mates, but then again there was the thrill and familiarity of fighting. I've always been easily scared, but I was never too afraid to face it head on, so I suppose I had a sense joining would guide me in the right direction…_

She was out of breath when she fell into the sand this time. She was cold from sweat, and the desert hot air was not refreshing her in the least.

"Well, that was good…" Margaret admitted. "But, maybe you should call it quits for tonight…"

"No!" Ezi huffed. "I just realized… this was my calling. This is what I wanted to do when I got here, to protect people from the darkness. Why would I give up now?"

"Because you are exhausted…"

"No…" As she huffed and puffed, she stood up tall to catch her breath. "Nyx is going to be even stronger than all of these shadows combined, maybe, so I can't give up now! I need to get past this tiredness so I don't slow down and give in to Nyx when we fight her." She looked to the brown door to her right. "I'm going through the lover's door next."

Margaret said nothing as she watched Ezi place her hand on the door, heaving over for a moment to catch her breath. Junpei was obviously afraid these would be his last days, and dear Akihiko seemed to be worried about her, too. He shouldn't worry about someone like her…

"… I have to get stronger…" It was becoming repetitive. "I can't let them down…"

"There will be other nights." Said Margret.

She sighed and stood up straight, giving in. "You're right."

She went back to the first floor.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good, like you have a sweaty fever or something!" Yukari noticed. She was drenched in sweat and dirt.

"It just hit me. I guess I got sick all of a sudden. You guys think you'll be okay going without me?"

They all exchanged looks. "Sure, I can lead for tonight." Akihiko said finally.

"I'll stay with Fuuka and stay on the lookout." She decided. Everyone but Koromaru went with them to the sixth block, and Ezi sat sprawled out on the floor as she listened to Fuuka give them instructions and warnings about the upcoming large Shadows, like the Daring Gigas and Infinite Sands. After a few floors, the team took a break before venturing on.

"How are you feeling?" Fuuka asked her.

"Much better! I guess it's just a cold thing."

"Maybe I can make you some soup tomorrow!" She proclaimed.

"I'll take it. You've improved so much in your cooking."

"Arf!" Koromaru agreed.

"You're just being nice. By the way, we haven't been to cooking club in a while. Maybe we could cook something together to share with the others."

"Sounds good! Have you made food for music man yet?"

"Oh! W-well I did think about it. What about you, Ezi-san?"

"Um, well I was thinking about making Akihiko something, but he doesn't really like sweets, and that's the main ingredients we have in the eco room…"

"How sweet! You two really are together, then? Officially?"

"Um, I suppose… I have mixed feelings. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Why? Is it because you're cheating?"

"Huh? Cheating?"

"Oh, sorry. It was this rumor that was going around. Someone said you were c-cheating on him! Is it true?"

"If I'm cheating on Akihiko, it's the first I've heard of it!"

"Sorry… I shouldn't have asked that." Fuuka said sadly. "You're my friend, I just thought I'd ask you before I believed it."

"No… I'm not cheating on him."

"But, you said you had mixed feelings?"

"Well… I like hanging out with Akihiko. But, when I do, I feel guilty."

"Guilty? Why?"

"Because of… Shinjiro. I know he wanted me to be happy, and he accepted what his fate was, but…"

"You still miss him, right?"

Ezi nodded her head.

"Well, it is a strange situation, since they are both close friends, but Shinjiro is…"

"I know, but what if he wakes up? What if he does and wants things to go back to the way they were? I don't know if I would want that myself or not…"

Fuuka sighed. "You may be asking the wrong person on what to do… I've never been in a situation like this. But, maybe… if you truly loved Shinjiro, the answer would be obvious, right?"

"I do care about him… I just don't know what he'd want from me if he were to wake up. He said he wanted me to be by Akihiko's side… but he always said things contradictory to how he really felt, so I don't know what to believe."

"Maybe you should just do what he said…" Fuuka paused, "Er, I'm not one for saying things like this often, but the end of the world is coming. If you want to be happy until then, do what's truly in your heart."

"Fuuka…" Ezi snickered, "Are you telling me to live it up before the end?"

"I-It's not like the end of the world will happen! We'll defeat Nyx! But, if you like Akihiko…"

"I do. It's a different kind of like from what I had with Shinjiro."

Fuuka smiled. "You are smart. I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

"Blaugh. Being smart is no help when feelings like these are involved. But thanks, Fuuka."

"I didn't do anything!"

"I talk to Yukari about this stuff, but I feel like she'd be more judgmental. You're easier to talk to, but you're still honest. You encourage your friends, and you've been more than a great help to the entire team, I've noticed. We couldn't have made it this far if it weren't for you!"

"Thank you…I did not think I could help much in the battle, because my Persona could only sense things, not fight the way yours can. I was worried I would be a failure here like I used to feel at home…"

"Your parents?"

She shrugged. "I don't get along with them very well. But, I realized I don't need their approval in order to make myself better. I was always timid about expressing myself, worried about what others may think. But, after seeing all of you being brave and showing your true feelings, I realized I needed to do that too, for my own sake. I have to do that on my own, with the support of people who care about me."

"Yes. I think so too."

"Fuuka? We are heading up a few more floors, then we'll be done for the night." It was Mitsuru on the amplifier.

"A-Alright! Stop just short of the guardian Shadow so we can all fight it together another night, then we'll be done."

"Thanks, Fuuka." Ezi said again.

"My pleasure. We do need to have cooking club again."

"I agree, before things get crazy."

It was already insane. The Nyx Annihilation team finished their exploration for the night and went home.

.

.

.

.

.

The next day was coming of Age Day. She didn't want to be cooped up in the dorm, and Mitsuru was heading out, so she went with her to grab some food.

"Don't be out at night, girls!" Junpei sounded like a worried mother when they left. "I have a fun surprise for everyone tonight!"

They went to the strip mall to eat again. Mitsuru seemed to want to eat something less fancy, and even commented that the Octopia stand smelled rather robust, so they went there to eat. Her credit card was not permitted, of course, as the Takoyaki lady had no machine to process it. Mitsuru felt dejected, but Ezi paid for it.

They sat on the curb and nibbled on their fried, diced up octopus meal, which Mitsuru found to be quite fascinating. Ezi's mind wondered to how she had been here before with Theo and Maiko.

"…Leon-san?"

"Eh?"

"I was saying, thank you for the peculiar food. It's quite good."

"No problem, sempai!"

"Even wit all of this news, it seems Akihiko has been rather down lately. I mean, more than the rest of us. Or at least, there's something different about him."

"R-Really?"

"Do you know what it could be? I don't mean to be rude, it's just I've been friends with him a long time. Perhaps, he's just been maturing."

That seemed to be the right word. "Does that make you sad?"

"Why would it? I'm happy he's finally growing up." She forced a smile. "There's no need to be suspicious."

"Suspicious of what?" She frowned. Mitsuru didn't seem to know he was her boyfriend now.

"It's just… When I look at Akihiko, I'm reminded of something about myself. I wonder what it is."

She pouted. "…Love?"

"Love? No, it's not that. He's just a friend, or rather a roommate… I'm not sure how to describe him."

"Family would be a good word. You two have always worked well together, but you never had any romantic connection. I wonder why…"

"I suppose I don't know myself. I've never really found him appealing in that way. Still… forgive my thoughtless ramblings. The Tokayaki was delicious."  
"No problem!"

The girls went back to the dorm, and could hear loud bass noises from inside the lounge.

"NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP! NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWNNN!"

Junpei was singing into the microphone from their karaoke box. Everyone else seemed to be surrounding him in their seats like an audience, as they listened to him sing the Rick Astley hit.

Ezi dropped her bag and ran over to him. She began to bob her body back and forth to the jingle. "NEVER GONNA MAKE YOU CRY-!" She was singing with him, and they looked at one another for confidence as they continued to sing in unison. "NEVER GONNA SAY GOODBYEEE, NEVER GONNA TELL A LIE, AND HURT YOUUUU~!"

"Well, she sure warmed up to this idea quickly." Yukari was not pleased by all the noise as she crossed her legs and arms.

"I want to go next!" Ken decided.

"This is silly." Akihiko tried to sound serious. "I want a turn too."

"It would seem that this form of bellowing and entertainment is a form of stress relief for Junpei." Aigis smiled sincerely. "I am actually pleased he decided to share his joy for harmonious singing with us."

"If you call that bat screeching harmonious!" Yukari retorted.

"Like you could sing better!" Junpei pointed the mic at her when the song ended.

"I bet I could!" She stood up. "Come on, Fuuka."

"What-?" She pulled the frail girl from the couch and they sang "I Will Survive" together.

"My, this is quite a show." Mitsuru was actually flattered to see Yukari trying to sing. Everyone bobbed their heads to the songs as they sang different rounds, grabbing snacks and drinks form the kitchen and sitting back down in the lounge to bask in pointless conversations and corny, classic karaoke songs as they randomly appeared on the machine. Everyone sang solos and duets together, no matter how miserable their singing voices, they were content in belting it out with their dear comrades.

It was a fun night. If only it'd last a bit longer.

They tried to celebrate as well the next day. Ezi walked home with Aigis, who she found to be a calm spirit amongst it all, and they ran into Junpei at the lounge.

"Oh, there you are. We're all going to Hagakure. Wanna come?"  
"Definitely!" Ezi declared.  
"Wow, that was easy. Akihiko-san's buying. Him and me had a little bet at Yakushima."

"What bet?"

"I can't really go into details, but in the end, I guess you're the one who actually won. Haha, and you didn't even know you were part of it!"

"You creeps! What did you do? This isn't about me and Akihiko dating now, is it?"  
"Uh, Well, I don't look a gift horse in the mouth, y'know? Anyways, I've just been waiting for you to get back. Everyone else already left, so we gotta jet!"

The three of them met the others at the shop. It seemed that Fuuka was visiting family again, and Mitsuru was handling business with the Kirijo Group. Yukari and Akihiko were already there.

"Is the special okay for everyone?" Yukari asked.  
"Yep, sounds good!" Ezi was excited. "Free food!"  
"Okay, five specials, please!"  
"Man, this is awesome! Akihiko-san's NEVER treated us all to ramen before."  
"Hey, why do I have to treat everyone? My bet was only with Junpei…" He was pouting like a little kid.  
"Tch, not this again…Come on, Akihiko-san, a bet's a bet. Pay up!"  
"Alright, alright! I never said I wouldn't.…What's wrong, Aigis? You doubting me too?"  
"No, but…" Aigis had noticed something that seemed to be rather enlightening as she looked at the magazine stand on the bar table. "Have you seen the magazine on that counter? There's an article that looks highly disturbing?"

"Where?" Yukari turned her chair to see the magazine rack.

"It's this one… Emergence of a Messiah: The Charismatic One Speaks." Aigis brought over the magazine and handed it to Akihiko.  
"It must be about that doomsday cult. They're all over the Internet, too." Yukari grumbled.  
Akihiko squinted at the photo. "Hey, look at the photo in this! Check our the so-called "Messiah"!"  
"Wh-What the-!" Junpei gasped.

The man on the cover was indeed grinning provocatively in the article's photo…  
"It's Takaya!" Akihiko said. "…I thought something was up. So, Strega's behind that cult…Tch, I've lost my appetite." Disgusted, Akihiko passed the magazine back to Aigis.  
"I figured that Strega might have been behind this crap, but seeing proof just pisses me off even more." Junpei said.

"I guess our theories were right. What does it say, Aigis?" Ezi leaned over as the robot began to read the article on the page.

"Mankind is currently imprisoned by the sins of hate and anger. But soon, a savior will descend upon this world to break the chains that bind us, and lift us to new heights. This great being is Nyx. I have beheld her glory, and she has blessed me with power beyond belief. In Nyx there is no pain… no suffering…"  
"How the hell does he know about Nyx?" Junpei slammed his hands gently on the wooden table, jolted with fury.

"Maybe they've always known…" Ezi was processing something.  
"Wait, he's saying that Nyx will save the world? That's not true!" Retorted Yukari.  
"I don't think he really means what he's saying. This is all just a game to him." Akihiko folded his arms. "Damn. That son of a bitch..."  
Aigis continued. "…They have acquired the same power as I; yet they abuse it, using it for their own personal gain. These miscreants are the ones to blame for the recent tragedies that have been plaguing our streets."  
"Wait, is he talking about us?" Junpei yelled.  
"Shhh! Not so loud!" Yukari scolded, scanning the room.  
"Oh, sorry. Hey, what's up with them calling him the "charismatic one"?" Junpei scrutinized the page. "How'd he get so popular all of a sudden?"  
"Jin's pretty well-known on the Internet. He's probably pretty good at stirring up trouble." Akihiko concluded.  
"Yeah, I bet he orchestrated Takaya's rise to fame! Ugh, those two make me sick." Yukari shook her head.

"Guys, wait." Ezi grabbed Aigis' shoulder for support as she glared off into space. "I think they've been planning this all along, like they've known about Nyx for a long time, the way Ikutsuki knew! What if he was also apart of this cult back then?"

"It does make sense… What brought you to that?" Akihiko asked.

"I didn't tell you guys this, but those guys that attacked me in the dorm were killed after they tried to make a sacrifice out of me, and they said that they were doing the Messiah's will! It's not a coincidence that they just popped up all of a sudden, because the truth is, this cult has been around a long time, and now they're just rising to the surface now that Nyx is actually approaching."

"They were killed?" Yukari was baffled. "Why would Takaya do that to his followers?"

"Don't you get it? It wasn't Takaya that pulled the trigger."

"It was Ikutsuki!" Akihiko stood up and yelled in realization.

"Shh!" Junpei put his finger to his lips, and the others pulled Akihiko back down.

"That's right! He knew we were unknowingly unleashing Nyx by fighting the 12 Shadows. He must have found them and killed them himself!"

"Right, because if you had been killed, we may have been to distraught to keep fighting, or at least, it would weaken our team." Akihiko realized.

"I'm not saying you guys couldn't have continued on without me, but it would have been a problem for him if were being killed off before the 12 Shadows were defeated." Ezi tapped her fingers on the table. "This is crazy! What else does it say, Aigis?"  
"Brothers and sisters, I shall go forth to make preparations for Nyx's arrival. But, do not fear those evildoers who desecrate their gifts. Nyx shall right their wrongs. May your hearts be filled with peace as you await your salvation. Blessed are those who take joy in the coming of Nyx. The revolution is here!"  
"Revolution? People can't seriously be buying this crap, can they?" Akihiko scoffed.  
"…That's the end of the article. It appears that after the interview, Jin and Takaya disappeared again."

"There's only one place they could have gone: Tartarus." Akihiko deduced. "They must've been planning this all along."  
"Takaya's words have changed the mood of the entire city. Even though they won't admit it, they are all afraid." Aigis said.  
"I mean, why else would people believe this nonsense Takaya's preaching?" Yukari  
"I guess people just need something to believe in." Akihiko said thoughtlessly.  
"Well, no wonder there's a sense of doom in the air… We're all gonna die." Junpei shrugged.  
"But, is that so surprising? The fact that all life ends one day has nothing to do with Nyx." Aigis pointed out. "Death is a natural occurrence in the cycle of life. Don't all humans realize this?"  
Junpei answered. "To tell you the truth, I never even would've thought about my own death if none of this had happened. But since we've made up our minds, why don't we just leave it at that? Our objective is Nyx. If Strega gets in our way, we'll just have to deal with them too."  
"I agree. However you look at it, we're the obstacle standing in their way. The promised day will soon be here," Akihiko pondered.  
Ezi tightened her fists. "Those cowardly bastards have another thing coming! I say bring it on."  
He laughed, amused. "Fearless as ever."  
"Alright, and if that's the case, then we're gonna need lots of energy! Let's eat!" Junpei clapped his hands together as the bowls were being passed out to them by the chef. "Excuse me! I'd like to order a Hagakure Bowl too, please!"  
"Junpei, don't forget you're having half of Aigis' food too." Yukari chided.  
"Oh, don't worry. I'm starving!"  
"…You just better eat it all." Akihiko warned. "I paid good money to get this food."

"Thank you, sempai!" The girls said in unison. Despite the grim news, the team ate together, contemplating the threat and confusion around them as they stirred and slurped their hot bowls of noodles.

.

.

.

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.

.

 _Why were you so easily drawn towards Shinjiro, when you were so uncaring to find love before that?_

The Lover's Shadow that looked like a giant potion bottle was hovering over her into the hotel room. The same group fought the shadow with similar force from the Heirophant, only it used charm magic instead of fear. The spell worked on Junpei, and he tried to cut Yukari with his sword. After Ezi averted him away as a distraction, the others used Charmdi medicine from their bags and clouded him with it until he recovered, and Akihiko had to drag him out of the room of the fight. While he did, Yukari used an arrow, and Ezi jumped up to shatter the glass Shadow finally, and it shattered to oblivion.

 _I suppose I was afraid of love… I was too prideful to admit if I ever had feelings for someone, because I was afraid of the pain if they were to get hurt, or I rejected by them. I realized I really liked Shinjiro, and maybe in my lost memories I may have liked someone too… but, I had been too afraid to be with them. I did not want the same thing to happen, so I knew I had be with him, regardless of my pride. My friends were always talking about it, too, the possibility of love… He satisfied a lot of loneliness that not even they could fill, and even though it ended in tragedy, I was glad to have been with him. It allowed me to be more open with people, realizing that life is short and you don't want to waste a moment with the ones you care about._

Margaret had dumped a bucket of water on her head. Ezi sat up to relieve her burning nostrils and cough out whatever water had gone into her airways.

"Now you will take a break?"

"Oy…" She shook her head. "Where'd you get the water from?"

"You will die if you fight another Shadow tonight. The next one is even more powerful."

"Yeah, I know… It took a long time to fight that one."

"About two hours."

"That long?" She sighed. "I really do need to get stronger."

"There are still more nights… you have time."

"You're right." Ezi headed to the silver door. Everyone had already scoured through Tartarus that night before she had gone to fight in the memory, and they hadn't seen any sign of Strega. They went home, everyone exhausted, but a little bit more stronger together.

It was finally time for lunch the next day, Aigis wasn't in class. Considering what had happened the last time she had gone missing, she decided to search for her. Aigis was sitting on the roof, admiring the scenery.

"Ezi-san…" She continued to look onward. "Do you like this town?"

"I like it. I mean, some pf these people are crazy, but before all this happened, I liked being here."

"I'm glad to hear that!" She sounded over exuberant. "Feeling the same way, as we view the same scenery, it feels nice…"

"Aigis, are you okay?"

She was smiling. Many feelings towards various things I had not recognized before are making themselves clear now…  
It's a little scary sometimes. But if I can change by being with you…  
I want to hold onto this feeling. I see now why you wanted to hold onto your memories."

"Yeah, it's important… You ready to go in now?"

"Yes."

The rooftop seemed special. She had been there with most of her friends at the mot critical moments, and it seemed Aigis was trying to gain the same experience.

Afterschool that day, Hidetoshi also seemed drawn to that place. After the meeting, he asked her quickly to meet with him before she left school, and they were up there as the sun was setting.

"Sorry to drag you up here," he began, "I just wanted to tell you something…"

"Oh! Is it about the case?"

"Yeah. The cigarette incident will be dropped. They say its my fault for asking so many questions and prying on something so pointless."

"You were doing what you thought was right."

He shook his head. "…I wanted to be the Student Council President next year, and the P.E. teacher for the sophomores agreed to endorse me. I lost that chance to achieve this goal when I disagreed with him that time, about you. The student body is also annoyed with me. I rambled on about rules and justice and fairness, but all I did was prove I was desperate for power."

"You didn't have to do that for me." She admitted. "But, at the same time, you decided to stick up for me instead of keep that sleazy teacher endorse you… and maybe that wouldn't have been the right way for you to go up. It would have just made you a hypocrite."

He grinned. "I see now why the President asked you to join Student Council. Those aren't just empty words or sympathy. You genuinely mean what you say."

"I try…" She said, smugly.

"The system only works if people trust you, though. You can't force that feeling. I felt I was being bullied when that teacher called on you as a suspect, and that I might lose a friend by agreeing with him just so I could get what I wanted. But when I thought about your honesty, I realized I couldn't be carried away. Thank you."

She shrugged. "I didn't do much!"

"Well, can you do me a favor and keep this a secret? I'm counting on you."

She went to the Paulownia Mall after that. Her mind was stirring. Her friends had become better people, but would it only be for month or so that it would matter? There was a "nyx" poster on the crank machine in front of the game store.

"Crazy, right?" Tanaka from the Tanaka show was standing behind her with his hands in his pocket.

"Hello, sir. Long time no see." She was actually pleased to see him. "How's business?"

"Well, it's a bit screwy since _that_ popped up." He nodded his chin at the poster. "I can't get people to buy stuff on my show if they think they're gonna die soon. Bunch of crackpots."

You don't believe it, then? I'm not surprised."

"Don't tell me you do? Come on, kid; I have I taught you nothing?"

"No, I still remember the analogies… Just because this Messiah is supposedly charismatic, doesn't mean he's the right choice."

"Exactly! Most people who are announced as so on TV are fake… except me, of course." He straightened his tie. "I've taught you well. Well anyway, while I have you, don't make the same mistake I did."

"Mistake?"

"There's this beautiful woman I know, she was doing a fundraiser for orphans or whatever in another country. Anyway, I said on the phone I'd drop 10 million yen as a donation for the cause. And this is what the program sent to me." He handed her a little note with a colorful "Thank You" on it.

"That's so sweet of you. I did expect you to be more greedy."

"Hey, be nice. Anyway, now I have to pay up. Not that 10 million yen is a lot for me. Still, I'm bound by my word. Still, those kids will endure a lot, and become successful, just like I did."

"I thought you said it was a mistake." She smirked.

"Meh, it was a questionable decision, I suppose, whether I did it to impress the women, or myself, or whatever…"

"I think you did it because deep down, you wanted to do something that was good."

"You cracked this devil. You must be so proud." He said, sarcastically. "Still, all I get is some measly card? You can have it."

She took the it. "You're welcome." She nodded proudly.

"There's no hidden message here! I really am pissed off." He insisted. "Oh yeah, by the way. I know we talked about that modeling position…"

"The one that I paid a lot of yen for, that ended up just being you giving me cheap advice?"

"It was not cheap! Anyway, I was so caught up in your enthusiasm, I may have given you the wrong impression. So, stop coming to hangout with middle-aged men like me here and do something important with your life, especially if this "end of the world" bullshit turns out to be real. Do something that makes you happy."

"I'm on it, Tanaka sir!"

"Tootaloo, my dear girl… May you find success one day."

She wondered if she'd ever see Tanaka again. He seemed busy with his business possibly plummeting, no thanks to all this doomsday business. She headed back home. The team found a missing person in the white halls of Tartarus that night, then ended their exploration for the week.

She went out with Akihiko the next day. They seemed clingy towards each other, and he told her about the entrance exams coming up.

"I'm not going to give up, but Mitsuru seems distracted."

"Funny, she said the same thing about you the other day."

"I guess we should be able to talk about more stuff, since we've known each other so long, but she has always been distant…"

Ezi wanted to know, too. Something was amiss.

She walked to school with Yukari, who seemed spaced out. They spoke quietly on the monorail.

"Hey." She stated simply.

"I don't know how Mitsuru-sempai and Akihiko-sempai can focus on entrance exams right now…" She said aloud.

"Uh, you and Mitsuru singing "Summer Loving" When we had Karaoke was pretty great!"

"Oh, it was… nice." She said nostalgically. "It feels like forever ago. Time seems to be flowing differently with all of this."

"Are you and Mitsuru… okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know you guys have become close… Uh, are you guys, you know…"

"No." Yukari shook her head. "I did something stupid."

Ezi perked up. "What happened?"

"I… I told her how I felt is all."

"How you felt?"

"I've known my whole life I was different, no matter how much I tried to be normal. Anyway, maybe that's why I was so obsessed with talking about Mitsuru before, because I didn't know how to express myself honestly."

"Yukari…"

"I just want her to notice me. She's so beautiful and powerful, I admire her so much." She chuckled. "I probably shouldn't tell you so much, but you're the only person who knows."

"Uh, we're friends too! Duh, you're supposed to share your feelings with your friends, right?"

"Thanks…"

"What did she say when you told her you liked her?"

"I… feel so stupid…" Yukari was holding back tears. She dipped her head down and whimpered in her lap as Ezi stroked her back. They didn't say much else when they reached the school.

"…Ezi?"

She was beyond musing in Nr. Edigawa's class that morning.

"Yes?"

"I mentioned two Greek sorceresses. One was Medea…"

Chidori… a lot of blood shed and fear had curled up to this point.

"….who was the other?"

"Crice, I think."

"Ding! The fates have smiled upon you…"

How does one deal with this daily, anyway? She found Mitsuru in front of the Student Council room, speaking to Hidetoshi.

"…Anyway, I apologize. I will try to make the next meeting." She bowed respectably to him, then turned around. 'Leon-san."

"Everything okay?"

"No… well, I have to be going. Farewell." She left quickly.

"Ezi-san!" Hidetoshi was grinning. "I have some reports to share in the meeting today. Won't you attend?" He seemed rather excited.

She looked at where Mitsuru had left. "Sure…"

She helped him with his presentation. She modeled the uniform for him, and added a few good points herself to Chihiro, Mikako, and the others with enthusiasm.

"…So that's my review on the proper way to wear one's uniform. Please keep these things in mind. I actually would like to know everyone's opinion on the uniform for next year, if you want to share."

The group whispered, buzzed by his pleasant and friendly composure.

She helped him unhook the USB properly, since for some reason he lacked technological skills, and everyone else left the room. She wondered about Mitsuru as she handed him his drive back.

"Here you go!"

"Thanks, Ezi-chan. I couldn't have done it without you. Un, how did I do?"

"It went well." She looked to the door. "Anyway, I should go—" Maybe she could catch to Mitsuru.

"Hold on, before you go. Ah, you have time, right?"

"Well, yes…"

"Okay." He seemed relieved. "That was a big weight off my shoulders. I may have given the impression that I'm selfish before, but I'll earn their trust back."

"Oh, yeah! You've changed so much already since we met. I'm sure the students will like the new you if you choose to be kind over anything."

He nodded. "Look at this." He held up a lighter and flicked the fire on for a moment, then turned it off. "One of the guys fessed up to smoking in the bathroom. And do you know what? He promised he would never smoke again. This lighter he gave me is proof of that. I earned his trust by showing my concern for him rather then discipline him. I guess he wanted to try it out because his friends peer pressured him into doing it, and he was short on friends, so…"

"I see. It all turned out good, then! It only took most of the year to find them! But I'm glad you found them now instead of before. Earlier you might have been too harsh on them."

"I agree. I want you to have this, a gift for supporting me on this whole case."

She smiled down at the cheap, silver lighter. "Thanks."

"I've been looking down on people."

"It's easy to do that!"

"Still, it caused friction, and dragged someone in dear to me. It hit me when I was persuading the owner of the lighter to understand… I learned that technique from you. To be bold at sometimes, but humble at others. You employed it upon me."

"Y-you're giving me too much credit." She felt the same level of discomfort he had, but it was a feeling among friends. "I'm happy to have helped student council this year."

"Do you remember the story I told you about the anchorman? The man sent to prison was my father… Then that whole Kira thing happened, and then…"

"I'm so sorry…"

"Well, I realized how important sincerity is, and how amazing my father was…"

"For standing up for what he believed in?" She patted his shoulder, and it startled him. "You'll do fine!"

"I wonder… will I be able to stand by your side?" He was mumbling. He looked at her. "You want to get some food? All this use of my nerves has exhausted me. We never hangout outside of school."

"Ah, can I take a reign check? I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. You seem preoccupied."

She hurried to the strip mall. Yuko had told her she had been seeing Mitsuru there lately, so she hoped maybe she was there now…

She wasn't. Akihiko text her about going to dinner at the Paulownia mall. She was too focused… the days were going by faster because she didn't want them to. She wish she had more time.

She decided to try the Paulownia mall, mainly because she didn't want to go home to study, or go out to eat and speak of their impending doom.

Thankfully, monk Miatsu was there… or, was it Mutatsu? He sat in the chair beside him in his usual spot at Club Escapade.

"I was hoping to see you around." He swigged some of his beer.

"Why is that?"

"All this talk about the end… what a load of crap! I guess people with little faith are afraid now that their supposed demise are close, and need something to believe in…"

"Do you think this is God's doing?"

"Whatever it is, it's not him. This is all brought up by some choice."

"You may be right about that."

"It's funny… with all this buzz about doomsday, I don't feel like drinking anymore. I think I'm gonna take your advice. Go talk to them."

"Oh, you're family?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna retire soon, but, maybe they can move back in with me…"

"That's good!"

"And, how are you? Still having meltdown about small things?"

"Hey, they weren't small, okay?" She smiled. "Anyway, I'm glad you're going back to your family. They'll probably need you more now then ever."

"You're a strange…" Mutatsu sighed. "I guess fate brought us together, so you could encourage me through this. I believe that."

"I know it, too." She nodded. "Thank you for all of your advice."

The unusual monk stood up with her. "When you mix Cointreau with lemon juice and ice and white rum, you get a mixed drink called "XYZ"."

"Okay…"

"Well, I'm trying to relate to you here, so just listen, will yah?" He cleared his throat. "In movies and popular manga stuff they use that XYZ as a goodbye symbol, or the end…"

It did seem eerily close to Nyx.

"…But I see the end as a good thing. It'll be a fresh step to new beginnings."

"I hope so." She said thoughtfully. "I hope you can embrace your family, too."

"It won't be easy. I'll have to get rid of old habits, but at least I'll be with them, my wife and daughter. Thanks, I'll be praying that your future is XYZ. So long, kid."

"Good luck, Mutatsu."

They went to Tartarus, and found themselves in the white space again. They were like warriors on the battlefield, scouring the loose white tower and fighting mystical Minotaurs and Doom Swords and Onnen Mushas in bloody, sweaty combat.

.

She woke up in his bed. It was amazingly blissful, like a miraculous process happening. The sun was beaming from his window, and he held her close, his bare torso keeping her warm.

"Good morning…"

"Did you sleep well?" A simple question, but she didn't think she'd be asking it in his bed.

"Yes. Next to you, I can do anything."

"Corny." She giggled. They went to school together and embraced the day, and after school, on the way out, she saw Ken on the sidewalk.

"Little bud! What's up?"

"Ah, Ezi-san… I was hoping to find you. Sorry, I should have text…"

"What is it?"

"Nothing bad! I just need to go somewhere with you."

They went to the outskirts. They stood there quietly for a moment, and it felt natural to be there. He had a mature smile on as they reached the spot in Tatsumi Port Island back alley.

"I used to be scared to come here. I couldn't handle that I would never hear them again."

"Now?"

"Well, I always pushed myself so I could be more like an adult. I admired Akihiko, and Shinjiro too. In doing so, I never cared about my own feelings. But, when all this end of the world stuff started happening, I realized I want to take care of the things I have right now. It took me long enough to figure out that's what Shinjiro-san meant: that I had my whole life ahead of me, and to take one step at a time."

"Yeah, he wasn't very explicit on his words to us, that idiot." She looked out into the distance with Ken.

"…I want you to have this." He dropped a silver key in her hand. "It's the key to my old home… which, is long gone by now."

"Ken, I couldn't-!"

"Please, take it. I've been holding onto it all this time, like some clinging to the past, and thinking about what it means to be left behind. I guess my mother must have had regrets. She… She died, and left a kid in this world, after all. But I had a lot of good memories in that house, that my mom left with me… That key is filled with those memories."

"You're giving me… your memories?"

"You helped me make new memories that I can cherish here. So, I wanted you to have my old ones, too. You trained me and you've treated me like a friend, not just some kid."

"I'll hold onto this… thank you."

He looked serious. "On my essay, I changed my goals at school."

"Oh?"

"I said I want to be able to protect the people closest to me, and use my powers the right way, and not just my Persona you; it's all because of everyone I was able to grow, but you most of all."

"Me?"

"You know the feelings I have of pain, and you've used your powers for the better too, even for helping a kid like me. So, thank you."

"You're right… I suppose I could have just gone crazy, like Takaya or something. You could have too… We both almost did at times, but we stuck to our goals thanks to each other."

He nods reassuringly. "Please, rely on me for the battle."

"Of course." She sighed. "You must miss your mom stull a lot, but I think she'd be proud of the man you're becoming."

"Me too…" He smiled. "And, if its okay for me to say…"

"Yes?"

"Shinjiro would be proud of you, too."

"I know… I miss him."

"Then, why are you dating Akihiko?"

She blinked at the child, full of wisdom and an obvious intelligence.

"…Ezi?"

"We should go back."

.

When they went home, the sun was going down. They talked about all sorts of things until they reached the dorm.

"Leon-San." Mitsuru seemed tense. "Let's go tonight."

"I agree!" She said.

"Me too." Ken nodded. He went to go feed Koro-chan when she sat on the couch with Akihiko and Mitsuru.

"Oh! Yukari just text me." Ezi buzzed. "They're on their way back and want to go tonight to!"  
"Excuse me." Mitsuru stood up and headed towards the stairs.

"Like I said, weird." Akihiko said to her.

"She's trying to avoid something…" She was avoiding Yukari.

"Well, how are you? Ready to fight?"

"Hell yeah I am!" She paused. "Uh… we went to the back alley."

"You and Ken?"

"Yes. I need to tall you something. Something that I don't want to say but I need to, before the final fight."

"Okay?"

"Come with me!" She dragged him outside, where they could be private, beside the dorm steps.

"Alone at last?" He teased. A Lost person dragged by them on the sidewalk. "…This isn't as romantic as I had hoped. Man…"

"Akihiko." She stared down seriously. "I'm having fun with you."

"Me too." He blushed.

"But, I need to tell you something. Something we have both been avoiding."

"Okay…"

"If Shinjiro was awake, I'd probably be with him."

"What?"

"It would be stupid of me, but I liked him, and I still do. Just because he told me to move on doesn't change my feelings for him."

"W-where this coming from all of a sudden?"

"…I've been feeling guilty, because if Shinjiro was awake, I'd want to be with you too."

"You're confusing me. Just tell me what this is!" He sounded irritated.

"I was ignoring the feeling for a while, not because I was afraid, but because I didn't want to face the facts…"

"What facts?"

"I like both you and Shinjiro."

"You…?" He had a pained look on his face.

"Please hear me out. If the end is coming, I didn't want to ignore this anymore. I like both of you, but in different ways. Still, I wanted to tell you I do like both of you."

"Are you… kidding me…"

"I know this sucks. I mean, if you told me you liked me and Mitsuru, I'd be pretty pissed off myself."

He bashed his hand on the brick wall behind her, but she didn't jump. Still, his aggression aroused her.

"Then why are you telling me this just now?"

"We have less than two more weeks until Nyx… If I embrace you in your bed, or we go on dates, I didn't want that hanging on me."

"You can't just choose me? Why…"

"Because I'm an idiot. Don't get me wrong, if Shinjiro were to wake up tonight, I would remain your girlfriend."

"But only out of loyalty, right?" He scoffed.

"No, because I like you and that would make me happy, and for you to be happy would make me even more happy." She blinked a few times fast. "I'm only informing you that my feelings have lingered all this time, and continue to do so. I kept on saying aloud that Shinjiro wanted me to move on, and maybe he did. But I still have feelings for him, even if he sucked at telling me the truth. I do wish you would understand…"

"I do." He said, sternly. "I get it."

"…Really? Be honest, sempai."

"No, I am being honest. I'd be lying if I said I didn't wonder since I asked you out if you still liked Shinjiro. I felt guilty too. I mean, he is my best friend…"

"I don't want to get between the two of you. Still, I had to share my feelings. Maybe I'm being selfish for having these feelings for him."

"It would be selfish if you'd kept it secret." He sighed and scratched the side of his head. "Well, what do we do now…" He seemed to be thinking aloud.

"I will only continue being your girlfriend if you want!"

"Y-you… Don't say it's like its your duty, or something."

"It's not. I like being your girlfriend, sempai."

"In that case…" He tilted her chin up, gently, "Focus on me."

His grip on her face seemed to tighten as he spoke. "Ah-!"

"You admitted to this, that you'll stay with me. So, don't think about anyone but me. Rely on only me."

"I… can't…" He had his hand around her waist, and maybe he didn't notice how hard his grip was becoming.

"Why not? Why do you think you have to put the burden all on yourself?"

"Because I… do… that's just the way I've always been. But, It's not like I won't rely on you, Aki."

"You're so stubborn." He let her go. "Maybe that's part of why I love you so much."

"I know." She smiled. "Look, the others have been working hard, too. We're all gonna need to rely on each other to fight Nyx."

"In that case, yes, you're right." He nodded. "I've always wanted to protect you, you're spirit… but I need your help, too. We'll do it together."

"Then, you're not mad?"

He kissed her lips. "I'm glad you told me."

"AHEM—"

They both turned to Junpei and Yukari, who were hovering over them on the steps.

"—Keep your PDA more private, will yah?" Junpei teased.

Yukari didn't seem phased at all by their actions. "We'd better prepare for tonight." She was still upset about Mitsuru.

.

It was a grotesque situation—her and Akihiko—but she was glad she had told him.

"Ah… this door…" Margaret was behind her as she explained the Hermit door. "You'll find someone from your memory who is no longer with you."

"I know." She pushed the door open.

 _Why were so able to cling to Shinjiro, when it seemed you were driven away from love in the beginning of this?_

The team had split up, and Akihiko and Shinjiro were fighting the Hermit in the Club Escapade on their own. Now, instead of like before, she was standing with both of them.

"Let's go!"

Castor and Caesar flowed together as they punched and threw the Shadow around, trying to disconnect it from all the wires that kept it spiked and active. The others were yelling on their ends how they were reaching the power source.

"Sandalphon!" The times angel used Megadolian, and the almighty attack slammed into the side of the Hermit in a white light. It shrieked like a shrill, croaking frog.

"Alright, good job!" Akihiko said. She wondered how long he had been secretly admiring her before she had noticed it herself.

"Look out!" Shinjiro rammed to the side of her, and they both tumbled away before a bolt of energy blasted form the head of the Shadow.

"Idiot!" Then, there was Shinjiro, who had been generally concerned, and showed this through his brutal attitude. He picked her up quickly and they fought again. The others on the rail above them seemed to be grappling against the tiaras and mayas and crows that pecked and clawed in their path, as they darted for the power box at the end of the railing. Yukari shot an arrow, and Mitsuru tossed her rapier like an Olympic thrower, and the box surged and popped when the power broke.

"Dionysus!" The god-like Persona with a tie-dye color body appeared alongside Cesar, and they cast lighting opposite of the Hermit's energy. It howled as Castor stabbed through its weak body and it crumbled like a tumbling black tower.

She fell to her knees. It had taken a half hour to defeat this memory, faster than the previous, but it was still exhausting.

"Shinjiro!" She yelled. He and Shinjiro were on their hands and knees as they had been before. He turned and looked at her like was prepared to have a normal conversation.

"…Whatever happens, I'm glad I met you! Thank you for our experiences together."

He looked sincerely confused, for this Shinjiro had no recollection of what was to come, then the memory faded into a white light.

 _Maybe I felt comfortable with him. Whatever I had lost, it may have held me back from accepting love before, some kind of sincere fear—or at least, I made it sincere so I wouldn't have to pursue love. But, I'm glad I did, and that I opened myself to him._

.

Margaret sighed. "That was much faster than before." She was holding her blue book and flipping through the pages for something.

Ezi wiped the tear from her face with her hand as she stood up. "Thanks."

"I am merely testing your power."

"Still… I feel stronger. We all do, and not just in the sense of physical strength."

"Will you fight another one tonight?"

"N-no, another time… That thing is drawing closer."

"I see…" She stared at her for a long time, observing her like a test subject, as Ezi walked to the door out.

"If you wish to truly be certain of your power…"

Ezi reached for the knob. "Yes?"

"After you complete your memories, there will be a request Theo has for you. He gives it to everyone at the end, and it could kill you, but it will assist your certainty in your last battle."

"A request? It is only a favor, so maybe I shouldn't…"

"You've risked your life this far."

Ezi nodded, with uncertainty. She joined her friends on the first floor and then they went to rest.

.

.

.

.

It was a coincidence that she spotted Mitsuru at the strip mall one morning. It seemed most of them were embracing each day by getting up earlier, to make the days last longer.

"Sempai!"

"Leon-San…" She seemed startled to see her, then forced a smile. "It's good to see you."

She wanted to know why—why she wouldn't embrace Yukari, when it seemed clear as the morning day that she should—

"Mitsuru?" A man's voice. The elegant woman's composure seemed to break at the sight of him; an older man, with small eyebrows probably in his thirties, in a white suit with a bright orange tie and slicked black hair.

"I didn't expect to find you in a place like this." He had a smug grin above his boney chin. "Come on, we've got work to do."

"Wait a minute, I didn't make any plans with you today." Mitsuru said.

"Today?" Ezi echoed. She had been with this man before?

"Well, my meeting for this morning was cancelled." He ignored her. "I'm a very busy man; you'll just have to adjust your schedule."

"I have plans… I'm going to school today." She sounded meek, not her usual, powerful self.

"I don't think you have anything more important to be doing right now then to spend time with me."

Mitsuru looked at his feet, like he had just kicked her puppy.

"Don't look so sullen. You know this benefits you as well, don't you? Now you are to be my wife, and you are to be obedient."

"Say what?" Ezi exclaimed.

"I imagine you are stressed about all these changes… but at least, your father has passed. I'm sure you're as relieved as I am."

"How… How can you say that?" She looked as if she was about to hit him, and she was trembling with anger.

There was the solemn scene of Mitsuru holding her dead father in her lamp, on the cold dark balcony in Tartarus.

"How dare you." Ezi tightened her fists. "You piece of trash! You have no idea what Mitsuru's been through, or how strong she's been!"

"Ezi…"

"Who are you? You think you'd mind your own business and be quiet."

"This is my business! She's my friend-!"

"Ezi, it's okay."

Had it not been for Ezi's large respect for the senior, she would have continued.

"Come on, this is ridiculous." The man continued. "You're a smart girl, but corporate management is no game."

"You manipulative, stupid, twisted snake son of a—"

"Leon." Mitsuru said again.

"The Kirijo Group still needs the cooperation of my company, does it not?"

"…Yes." She responded.

"Good girl, Mitsuru. I knew you would listen to reason." He reached out for her arm, and his bony fingers connected. "Now, let's go. I've made reservations to a luxurious restaurant." He walked ahead without another thought, expecting her to follow.

"I wish you hadn't seen that. I'm sorry…" She bowed respectably to Ezi, and tried to walk past her. "Excuse me—"

"Stop!" She yelled. "Are you crazy? Why are you letting this happen-?"

"Stop, Leon-san. I understand how you feel about this, but…" Mitsuru had a sad look on her face.

"Hurry up, Mitsuru." He paced back to them and looked at Ezi. "By the way, who are you? You must be a commoner in that uniform."

"What is this, Ouran?"

"Don't you see the ocean of difference between you and Mitsuru? That goes for you too, dear." He grinned at her. "Your acquaintances become mine as well. I suggest you never come near her again, little missy."

"You're an idiot! I'm not gonna stop being her acquaintance. I refuse." She folded her arms, smirking smugly. This man was nothing compared to the year of experience with Mitsuru, and their bond in blood and battle.

"Do you not grasp the trouble you are causing Mitsuru? Are you simple?"

"Are you simple with that raggedy-ass big bird beak-outfit?" She didn't really know what she was saying, but she was insulting his stupid yellow shirt and orange tie.

"Well, you've got spunk, and you're pretty. Maybe you could use it to pass into high society."

"I'd rather stick to my guns." She wanted to punch him in the face.

"Hold on… so that's your scheme? How exciting it must be to use your sex as a weapon. Men, however, require talent. I have the group to look after. A little girl's burdens is nothing next to mine."

She stared at him, jaw dropped. Maybe she would stab him in the forehead. He clearly was compensating for something.

"That's enough…"

"Mitsuru?" He lowered his head to meet hers.

"I said that's enough!" She jumped in his face.

"Why are you getting so angry?"

"If you insult her, you insult me!"

"Have you forgotten? If you cross me, then…"

"You spoke of "burdens" did you not? How fitting for you to say there is no comparison, because you are correct! There is no comparison! She stands on her own feet and faces fate with her own strength! Her outlook on life has redeemed me and comforted me innumerable times. She is dear to me; TAKE BACK YOUR INSULTS!"

Ezi grinned, devilishly, at the man.

"F-fine, fine. I suppose you can associate with her from time to time."

"What a feeble apology! People are not your pawns or servants! A man who fails to understand this cannot possibly develop the Group! After all, a company is made of its people! The Kirijo group will not work under you! From now on you are a stranger to me! If the Group suffers from this separation, I will find a way to make it prosper! And if you try anything malicious, I will use the power of the Group to destroy you!"

"Ha!" Ezi jumped with joy.

"Get out of here, you snob! I don't want to see your face ever again!"

"Y-you!" He stammered, stepping back, like he was being threatened with a gun. "Mom—Mommy!" He ran away, and Ezi was startled by the change in the sexist, rich moron.

"A company is made of his people…" Mitsuru mused aloud.

"Yeah! You showed that little bitch, Mitsuru!"

"My father told me that many times."

"He'd be proud of you, right now." She stepped in front of her.

"I wanted to just run away form all of this responsibility; to be someone else."

"I've felt that way before. Trust me."

Mitsuru chortled. "I can imagine so. But, I thought because of my responsibility, I would have to deal with him—I see now, only I can measure my happiness in my work, no matter how stressful."

"It takes time to figure it out. That little loser had no idea what he was talking about!"

"Indeed… I thought I would have to grin and bare it for the sake of the Group, but, I don't need him, right?"

"No way! You have way better fishes in your net!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm actually sort of happy!"

"Is that so?" The senior folded her arms.

"Yes, because this means you are single again and you can hook up with Yukari now!"

"Ah-!" Her face was red as her hair. "I think you're confused…"

"This is why you rejected her, right? Responsibilities before love? When we defeat Nyx, you have to be together…"

"I… I didn't realize you were aware of our, well, unusual attraction to one another. Still, Yukari has her own life. I would disapprove of myself if she were to have to deal with the high society I live in. Besides, not many high rollers would understand our… well…"

"You're what? That you can be in love with anyone you want? Screw that! I'm tired of feeling bad for my own true feelings, which is why I think I told Akihiko the truth about mine…"

"Ezi?"

"Well, it's a long story. But, anyway, hear me out: I don't want to believe this is the end, but if it is, you have to talk to Yukari. Okay?"

"Yes… thank you. I didn't ever think we'd be speaking this way when I met you. You're like, a little sister."

"Thanks! I think…"

"Take it as a compliment. Anyway, let's get going to school. Do you need a ride? You'll sit on the back since you do not have a license here."

"Huh?"

"My motorcycle…"

"Oh, right! Thanks, sempai. I'm proud to be working with you on this big mission."

"Me too. I am Mitsuru Kirijo, and I'm proud to have that name."

.

She walked with Aigis back home, and they same stray dogs that didn't seem to agree with Aigis' inorganic structure; Fuuka and Ezi decided to make the last batch of ingredients in their Cooking Club before Fuuka went out with the music man, and Akihiko noticed Yukari crying tears of unexpected joy when she embraced Mitsuru in front of the dorm one evening. Everything that could have drawn to a close a later time seemed to be wrapping itself in a pretty bow before the final fight would begin for all of them.

.

.

 **Coming to the end :'( even though I know what happens, I hate endings and change. Its something I've had to learn to embrace and move passed slowly. Even as an adult now I still suck at dealing with it. Anyway, I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary conversations in this one but I didn't want to edit it out. Thanks for reading!**


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